Walk past any tandoor shop in Delhi or Lahore at dusk and the seekh kebab announces itself first: cylinders of spiced minced lamb smoking on iron rods, dripping fat that flares against the clay walls. Seekh simply means "skewer", and the dish came to the subcontinent with Mughal kitchens, where cooks learned to press seasoned mince — green chilli, ginger, garlic, garam masala, fresh coriander — directly onto thick skewers by hand and lower them into the tandoor's vertical heat. The home cook's real challenge is not flavour but adhesion: without the fierce radiant heat of a tandoor to set the surface instantly, the mixture wants to slump. Cold fat, hard kneading and a preheated oven or grill at maximum solve it, delivering kebabs that are charred outside, steamy and juicy within.
Also known as: Seekh Kabob, Sik Kebab, Ground Beef Skewers
Reference video
Reference video, embedded from YouTube: filmed by SharMissCooking, not by How To Make A Kebab, and not owned, relicensed or distributed by this site.
View Original Video
Ingredients
- 500g Minced Beef/Lamb (20% Fat)
- 1 Onion (Chopped & Squeezed Dry)
- 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
- 2 Green Chillies (Finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp chopped Fresh Coriander & Mint
- Spices: 1 tsp Garam Masala, 1 tsp Cumin Powder, 1 tsp Coriander Powder, 1/2 tsp Chili Powder, 1 1/4 tsp Salt
How To Make Seekh Kebab
-
1
Wrap the chopped onion in a clean cloth and squeeze out as much juice as you can, until the pieces feel dry to the touch; any water left in the onion loosens the mix and can make the kebab slide off the skewer.
-
2
In a large bowl, combine the meat, squeezed onion, ginger-garlic paste, green chillies, coriander, mint, spices and salt. Knead firmly with your hand until the mixture turns sticky and clings to your fingers; that tackiness comes from protein drawn out of the meat, and it is what holds the kebab on the skewer.
-
3
Cover the bowl and refrigerate the mixture for 1 hour, so the fat firms up and the mince holds its shape on the skewer.
-
4
Wet your hands, take a ball of the chilled mixture and press it around a skewer, then work it along the skewer with your fingers into a long cylinder of even thickness.
-
5
Grill over hot charcoal for about 12-15 minutes, rotating the skewers frequently, until the outside is reddish-brown and the center reaches 71°C (160°F).
Note: Adding 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of baking soda can help keep them tender and juicy.
Seekh Kebab open-license visual reference from Wikimedia Commons: Pakistani gobi aloo, seekh kebab, and beef karahi.jpg.
By Jess Lander from Culver City, CA, USA · CC BY 2.0
Seekh Kebab open-license visual reference from Wikimedia Commons: Seekh Kabab 2.JPG.
By Miansari66 · CC0
Seekh Kebab open-license visual reference from Wikimedia Commons: Seekh Kebab.JPG.
By raasiel · CC BY 2.0
Go Deeper · the full story
About this recipe
Seekh kebab is the everyday workhorse of tandoor cooking: spiced minced meat pressed by hand onto a skewer, with no special cut of meat required. Where a kebab like boti depends on picking the right chunk, seekh depends on technique — getting the mince to grip the skewer at all is the real skill.
This version leans hard on that adhesion problem: onions get squeezed bone-dry so they don't loosen the mix with extra moisture, the meat gets kneaded until it turns sticky, and the whole thing chills for an hour so the fat firms back up before shaping. None of that matters if the grill isn't hot enough to set the surface fast, since home ovens and grills have to work harder than a tandoor to get there.
Why this recipe works
Why This Recipe Works
- Squeezing the chopped onion completely dry keeps excess moisture out of the mix, which would otherwise loosen the meat's grip on the skewer.
- Folding in finely chopped green chillies with fresh coriander and mint keeps the seasoning bright and herbal against the richness of the fat, rather than relying on dry spice alone.
- Rotating the skewers frequently over hot charcoal browns the cylinder evenly on all sides, since an unturned side would burn before the far side even started to colour.
How to serve it
Serving Notes
Serve with raita or a squeeze of lemon; the yogurt or acid cuts through the fat content that keeps the cylinders juicy.
Pull the skewers as soon as the outside turns reddish-brown — seekh is thin enough that it keeps cooking a little even off the heat.
Sliced raw onion and mint chutney on the side do real work here, cutting the richness of the fat in the mince.
Common mistakes to avoid
Common Mistakes
- Not squeezing the onions dry: the extra moisture loosens the mix and the cylinders slide right off the skewer on the grill.
- Skipping the knead: without developing that sticky, tacky texture, the meat has nothing holding it together around the skewer.
- Shaping straight from a warm mix instead of chilling it first: soft fat means the cylinders lose their shape before they even reach the fire.
- Grilling over low or medium heat: without a fierce initial sear the surface never sets fast enough, and the mixture slumps instead of holding its cylinder shape.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make seekh kebab without a tandoor?
Yes — a very hot grill, barbecue, or an oven broiler on maximum all work, since what matters is getting the surface to set fast, not the specific heat source.
Why does my seekh kebab fall off the skewer?
Almost always excess moisture — either the onions weren't squeezed dry enough or the mince wasn't kneaded long enough to develop a sticky bind.
Can I use chicken instead of beef or lamb?
Chicken mince works, but it's leaner, so compensate with a bit more added fat or it will dry out faster on the grill.
Does adding baking soda actually help?
A small amount can keep the mince tender by helping it hold moisture, but too much will give the meat a soapy aftertaste.
Sources and further reading
- Seekh kebab — Wikipedia
- Kebab — Wikipedia
- Lamb Seekh Kebabs — Saveur (Meherwan Irani)
Keep Cooking
Build The Full Plate
Technique And Support Guides
Best Meat For Kebab
Choose the best meat for kebab by fat ratio, cut, grind, and cooking style, whether it ends up on a skewer, in a wrap, or on a plate.
How To Keep Kebab On The Skewer
Learn how to keep kebab on the skewer with the right fat level, onion handling, kneading, skewer shape, and grill timing.
Metal Vs Wooden Skewers For Kebab
Understand when to use metal or wooden skewers for kebab, plus why flat skewers matter for minced kebab and how oven use changes the choice.
What Temperature To Cook Kebab
Get the right cooking temperature for kebab on charcoal, gas, grill pan, and oven so minced and chunked kebabs brown properly without drying out.
Related Recipes
Galouti Kebab
The "Melt-in-Mouth" kebab of Lucknow. Finely minced meat with papaya tenderizer.
Chapli Kebab
Giant, flat, fried beef patties from Peshawar. Uniquely crunchy with pomegranate seeds.
Bihari Kebab
Thin beef strips marinated in yogurt and papaya, incredibly tender.
Boti Kebab
Marinated chunks of spiced meat. The chunk version of the minced Seekh.