Bihari Kabab in 8 Steps

Bihari Kabab is the food of my people. The recipe I am sharing here is sort of a family heirloom. My mom inherited this recipe, from my grandmother, and she has now passed it down to my sister-in-law and me. The only difference is that growing up we called it Seekh Kabab, since these kababs are cooked on thin flat skewers, called seekh in Urdu. It is kind of like that Friends' joke:

Joey: [to Ross] Forget about Rachel. Go to China, eat Chinese food.
Chandler: Of course there they'd just call it food. 

The story behind Bihari Kabab is that apparently there was a Moghul Emperor, who lost his teeth, but still wanted to eat Kababs. He commissioned his royal chef to create a kabab recipe that did not require too much chewing. The chef brilliantly decided to marinate the meat in green papaya. The connective tissue in the meat breaks down when it comes in contact with an enzyme called papain, found in green papayas. So without further adieu, let's get cooking.

Bihari Kabab
Posted by Cultivate Flavors on Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 pounds of round steak cut beef into thin slices

Half green papaya

1 bulb of garlic

1/2 cup of olive oil

1 large onion (thinly sliced)

1 large onion (cut into cubes)

3 green chilies (seeds and membrane removed)

1 star anise

1 bay leaf

2 cinnamon sticks

2 chili pods

3 mace spice

3 black cardamoms

4 green cardamoms

6 cloves

12 black peppercorns

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne

1 teaspoon of sumac

1 1/4 teaspoons of cumin

1 1/4 teaspoons of coriander

2 and a half teaspoons of salt (or to taste)

1/2 cup of yogurt

6 thin flat skewers (as shown in the video)

 Step 1: Wash the thin slices of beef, and pat them dry using paper towel. And, put them in a mixing bowl.

Step 2: Blend green papaya and garlic in a blender. Marinate the beef in the green papaya and garlic paste for half an hour. Massage the beef for 10 minutes before doing so. 

Step 3: In the meanwhile, over high heat, in half cup of olive oil, fry one thinly sliced onion until golden brown.

Step 4: In a blender, put one cubed onion, green chilies, and all of the spices, along with browned onions, and the oil which was used for frying. Blitz until it turns into a smooth paste. 

Step 5: Add the paste in a mixing bowl containing beef and the papaya paste. Mix thoroughly. 

Step 6: Mix in the yogurt. Cover and set aside for 4 to 6 hours, or until the beef slices have become soft. 

Step 7: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Thread the beef onto thin flat skewers, and flatten the meat out. For more information refer to the video.

Step 8: Roast in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the meat is seared from the outside, and tender from the inside. Gently rotate the skewers after the first 15 minutes of cooking. 

Serve them warm with flatbread or white rice. And, thank my wonderful grandma for this amazing deliciousness :).