Seekh kebab is ground meat, worked with onion, ginger, garlic, green chilli and spice, then pressed onto a skewer and cooked over fire until the outside catches a little char. It is a type of kebab from the Indian subcontinent, made with Indian spices and spiced minced or ground meat, usually lamb, beef, or chicken, formed into cylinders on skewers and grilled. The name tells you what it is: ‘seekh’ means skewers and ‘kebab’ means meat cooked over a charcoal fire, so seekh kebab means skewered meat cooked over a charcoal fire.
Most food writers trace it to Mughal-era kitchens, where Central Asian and Persian grilling habits met Indian spice. As the Mughal Empire spread to South Asia during the 1500s, cooks married Middle Eastern grilling methods with Indian spice, grinding meat and mixing it with spices like cumin, coriander, and garam masala. The exact path it took is debated and some writers connect it to the Turkish shish kebab tradition as well, so treat the Mughal story as the most commonly repeated one rather than a settled fact.
In Pakistan, kebabs from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lean close to Afghan-style barbecue with little more than salt and coriander, while Karachi and Sindh favour spicier kebabs marinated with lemon juice and yogurt. Beef is the usual meat in Pakistani homes, where seekh kebab turns up on Eid tables, at weddings and on any evening someone lights the grill, served hot off the skewer with naan, raw onion and a squeeze of lemon.
What you need
Three things decide whether your kebabs hold together and taste right: the fat in the mince, how dry the onion is, and the spice balance.
Ground beef needs real fat, not the lean stuff. Ground beef with 20% fat (not lean) helps your kebabs stay tender and moist. Some cooks add even more: restaurants often add a good amount of extra fat, with one owner reporting a mix of 50% fat to 50% ground beef. Onion brings moisture and sweetness, but that moisture is the enemy of a kebab that grips the skewer, so it has to be squeezed hard before it goes in.
A coarse grind of toasted cumin and coriander, plus fresh ginger, garlic, green chilli, mint and coriander leaves, builds the base flavour that every regional version shares, even as the exact spice list shifts by household. Kachri powder, made from a dried wild melon, is a traditional South Asian meat tenderiser some cooks add; it is not something most Western kitchens will have on hand.
| Ingredient | Swap | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Kachri powder (tenderiser) | 1/2 tsp unripe grated papaya per 500g meat, or skip it | Kebabs are slightly less soft but still work; papaya breaks down protein similarly |
| Ground beef 80/20 | Ground lamb or ground chicken thigh, same ratio | Lamb gives a richer, more traditional Mughlai taste; chicken needs a firmer hand and a shorter cook |
| Fresh mint | Extra fresh coriander leaves | Loses the cool edge mint gives, flavour stays balanced |
| Bread or besan binder | 1 tbsp roasted gram flour (besan) | Besan dries the mix and adds a faint nutty taste; bread is milder |
| Metal skewers | Soaked wooden skewers or flat bamboo sticks | Wood chars faster near the flame; turn more often |
Beef Seekh Kebab
Spiced ground beef pressed onto skewers and grilled or pan-seared until charred outside and juicy within, the classic Pakistani barbecue kebab.
- Halal
Ingredients
Kebab mixture
- 700 g Ground beef, 20% fat, not lean mince
- 1 Onion, finely chopped and squeezed dry
- 2 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
- 2 Green chillies, finely chopped
- 20 g Fresh coriander leaves, chopped
- 10 g Fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 2 tsp Ground cumin, toasted
- 2 tsp Ground coriander, toasted
- 1 tsp Red chilli powder
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- 1½ tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Roasted gram flour (besan), binder, optional (optional)
- 1 Egg, beaten, binder, optional (optional)
- 2 tbsp Butter or oil, melted
To serve
- to taste Naan or roti, warmed (optional)
- to taste Red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
- to taste Lemon wedges (optional)
Equipment
Flat metal skewers or soaked wooden skewers, Charcoal grill or heavy pan, Food thermometer, Cheesecloth or clean kitchen towel
Method
- Dry the onion. Chop the onion finely, then wring it hard in a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth over the sink until no more liquid runs out. This step matters more than any spice; wet onion is the main reason kebabs fall apart.
- Mix the kebab base. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, dried onion, ginger garlic paste, green chillies, coriander, mint, cumin, coriander, chilli powder, garam masala and salt. Add the besan or egg if using.
- Knead briefly. Mix with your hands for 1 to 2 minutes, pressing and folding rather than squeezing hard, until the mixture feels slightly tacky and holds together when pressed into a ball. Stop as soon as it reaches this point.
- Chill. Cover and refrigerate the mixture for at least 30 minutes, or up to a few hours. This firms the fat and makes shaping far easier.
- Shape onto skewers. Wet your hands with water. Take about 80g of the mixture and press it around a flat metal skewer, moulding it into an even cylinder roughly 12cm long and 2.5cm thick. Keep the width consistent along the length so it cooks evenly.
- Heat the grill or pan. Light a charcoal grill and let the coals turn ash-grey, or heat a heavy pan with a thin film of oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
- Cook the kebabs. Place the skewers over the heat. Grill or pan-sear for 10 to 15 minutes total, turning every few minutes so all sides pick up colour, brushing lightly with melted butter partway through.
- Check doneness. Insert a food thermometer into the thickest part of a kebab; it should read at least 71°C (160°F). The outside should be deeply browned with some char, the inside firm but still juicy.
- Rest and serve. Let the kebabs sit for 2 to 3 minutes off the heat. Serve hot with warm naan, sliced onion and lemon wedges.
Contains: milk, eggs, gluten. Check the labels on packaged ingredients.
Written with AI assistance and reviewed by a human editor. This recipe has not been cooked in a home kitchen, so taste and adjust as you go. The header picture is an AI-generated illustration, a stock photo or an official press picture, not a photo of this exact recipe. Use halal-certified meat.
Tips for success
Squeeze the onion dry. Chop it fine, then wring it in a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth until no more liquid drips out. Wet onion is the single biggest reason kebabs slide off the skewer or fall apart in the pan.
Mix with your hands, briefly. Press and fold the meat with spices for a minute or two until it feels slightly tacky and holds together; overworking it turns the texture dense and bouncy rather than tender.
Chill before shaping. A rest in the fridge, or a short spell in the freezer, firms the fat so the mixture is easier to mould and less likely to slump during cooking.
Wet your hands. Dip your palms in a bowl of water before pressing the mix onto each skewer; this stops the meat sticking to your fingers and helps you shape an even cylinder.
Keep the thickness even. A kebab that’s thick in the middle and thin at the ends cooks unevenly: the thin parts dry out before the centre is done. Aim for a steady width along the whole length.
Don’t flip too often. Let each side set and colour before turning; constant turning tears the surface and lets juices escape.
Storing and reheating
Keep raw ground beef mixture in the fridge and use it within 1 to 2 days, or freeze it, following USDA guidance that bacteria multiply rapidly in the “Danger Zone” between 40 and 140°F, so ground beef should be stored at 40°F or below and used within 2 days, or frozen. Cook kebabs to a minimum internal temperature of 71°C (160°F), checked with a food thermometer, since ground beef needs to reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 160°F to destroy harmful bacteria, measured by a food thermometer.
Cooked kebabs keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container at 40°F (4°C) or below. For longer storage, freeze them in a single layer, then transfer to a bag; thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in a hot pan, air fryer or oven until steaming hot all the way through, ideally checked to 74°C (165°F) for reheated leftovers, which is the standard food-safety benchmark for reheated cooked meat.
Serving ideas
Serve seekh kebabs straight off the grill with warm naan or roti, thin-sliced onion tossed with a little vinegar and chilli, and a wedge of lemon. A green chutney made from coriander, mint and yogurt cuts through the richness, and a simple cucumber-tomato salad on the side keeps the plate fresh. They also work rolled into a wrap with chutney and salad for a quick lunch.
Diet and allergen notes
This recipe uses halal-certified ground beef and no pork or alcohol, so it is halal as written. It contains egg if you use the egg-bound version noted in the recipe card; leave it out and the kebabs still hold together with a careful squeeze of onion and a short chill. It is not vegetarian or vegan. It is dairy-free as written. For a gluten-free version, skip the bread binder and use besan or simply rely on a longer chill instead.
Questions
Why do my seekh kebabs fall off the skewer?
Usually it’s wet onion, lean meat, or a mix that hasn’t rested. Squeeze the onion until it’s truly dry, use meat with visible fat running through it, and chill the shaped kebabs for 20 to 30 minutes before they hit the heat.
Can I make seekh kebab without a grill?
Yes. A hot pan with a little oil, turned on all sides, gets you close to the same result without charcoal, and a hot oven also works well for cooking several skewers at once. You lose some of the smoky edge a charcoal fire gives, though a few seconds held over a stovetop flame at the end can bring some of that back.
What meat is traditionally used for seekh kebab in Pakistan?
Pakistani seekh kebabs are often made with ground beef, while Indian-style versions are usually made with ground lamb or ground chicken. Lamb is also common in Pakistani homes and restaurants, particularly where Mughlai-style cooking is favoured.
Sources
- Source: Seekh kebab, Wikipedia
- Source: Pakistani meat dishes, Wikipedia
- Source: Pakistani Seekh Kebab Recipe, Tea for Turmeric
- Source: The History and Evolution of Seekh Kebabs
- Source: Ground Beef and Food Safety, USDA FSIS
- Source: Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart, USDA FSIS
- Source: How Long Is Ground Beef Good for in the Fridge?