North Indian Bihari Kabab Recipe

Name: North Indian-Style Bihari Kabab
Prep time: 75 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 83 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 2 large onions (sliced); 2 tbsp. vegetable or canola oil; 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt; 2 tbsp. garlic paste; 1 tbsp. ginger paste; 2 tsp. ground cumin powder; 2 tsp. ground coriander; 1 tsp. ground black pepper; 1/2 tsp. red chili powder; 1/2 tsp. ground star anise powder; 1/2 tsp. mace powder; 1 tablespoon papaya paste (optional); Salt to taste; 2 1/2 pounds beef sirloin or chuck (cut into 1" thick strips); To garnish: Lime wedges, sliced raw onion and cucumber, and chopped cilantro

Prep: 75 mins

Cook: 8 mins

Total: 83 mins

Servings: 8 to 10 servings

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Bihari kabab is a popular street food in Kolkata, India. While beef is restricted in most of India due to the significance of cows in Hinduism, it is unrestricted in a handful of states in northeastern India, such as in Bihar and West Bengal.

North Indian Bihari Kabab recipe — The Spruce / Chosen Posture

If you are using wooden skewers, you may want to soak them in water beforehand so they withstand the heat of the cooking flame. This dish is great to serve as a tasty appetizer or as a meal with fresh hot naan (tandoor-cooked Indian flatbread).

10 Traditional North Indian Recipes

2 large onions, sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, or canola oil
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
2 tablespoons garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground star anise
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
1 tablespoon papaya paste, optional
Salt, to taste
2 1/2 pounds beef sirloin, or chuck, cut into 1-inch-thick strips
Lime wedges, for garnish
Raw onion, sliced, for garnish
Cucumber slices, for garnish
Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Fry the onions in the oil until they are soft. Drain them on paper towels. Use a food processor or mortar and pestle to grind them into a smooth paste.
Mix the onion paste and all the spices (garlic paste, ginger paste, cumin, coriander, black pepper, red chili powder, star anise, and mace) with the yogurt and add the beef strips to this mix. Add salt to taste and set aside for 8 to 10 hours in the refrigerator.
About an hour before cooking, mix in the papaya paste (if using). Heat your grill or broiler on medium-high heat and thread 8 to 10 beef strips onto each skewer
Grill until cooked to your liking.
Serve immediately with hot naan.

Recipe Variation

You can use chicken instead of beef for this recipe, just reduce the marinating time to two hours.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
376	Calories
22g	Fat
12g	Carbs
33g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories	376
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22g	28%
Saturated Fat 7g	37%
Cholesterol 108mg	36%
Sodium 243mg	11%
Total Carbohydrate 12g	4%
Dietary Fiber 2g	7%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 33g
Vitamin C 12mg	61%
Calcium 89mg	7%
Iron 3mg	16%
Potassium 593mg	13%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.