Bun kabab

A typical sight on the streets of Karachi, in Pakistan’s south, are bustling stalls selling bun kabab which come alive at night after locals finish work and need a quick and spicy snack. There are many regional variations to this street food favourite, one of which is the addition of a fried egg or an omelette.

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp ghee
• 1 onion, finely chopped, plus extra, sliced, to serve
• 500 g minced lamb
• 100 g (½ cup) tinned lentils, drained, rinsed
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped, plus extra, sliced, to serve
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1½ tsp ground cumin
• 5 cm piece ginger, finely grated
• 10 cm piece ginger, finely shredded 
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• vegetable oil, to shallow-fry
• 4 burger buns, halved
• 110 g (⅓ cup) store-bought tamarind chutney (see Note)
• sliced tomato and cucumber, to serve
• 4 eggs, fried, to serve

Chilling time 1 hour

Instructions

Place 1 tbsp of ghee in a frying pan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook, stirring, for 6 minutes or until softened. Remove from heat and cool. Place cooked onions, lamb, lentils, chopped chilli, garlic, cumin, grated ginger and cinnamon in a food processor, season with salt and pepper and process mixture to a paste. Add egg and pulse to combine. Using damp hands, shape into 4 patties and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Heat 1 cm oil in a frying pan over medium heat until hot. Add shredded ginger and cook for 2 minutes or until crisp and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain.

Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a frying pan over medium heat. Add patties and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until just cooked through. Remove and keep warm. Wipe pan, add remaining 1 tbs ghee and cook buns for 2 minutes or until toasted. Spread bun bases with chutney, top with patties, tomato, cucumber, extra onion, fried eggs, chilli, crispy ginger and bun tops. Serve immediately.

Note

• Tamarind chutney is from Asian food shops and select supermarkets.

Photography Brett Stevens

As seen in Feast magazine, June 2014, Issue 32. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.