AI-generated image
Suti kabab
Soft spiced beef kebab
সুতি কাবাব (suti kabab): Old Dhaka's soft spiced beef kebab held on the skewer with cotton thread
Suti means thread, and that is the trick of this Old Dhaka speciality: the beef is scraped and pounded so fine that it would slide off a skewer, so the kebab-maker winds cotton thread around it before it goes over the charcoal. The stalls of Beribadh and Nazimuddin Road grill them through the evening during Ramadan iftar and at weekends, and the result is a long, soft, smoky kebab that almost melts, eaten with paratha, sliced onion and lime. Raw papaya and roasted gram flour hold and tenderise the meat, and fried onions give a sweet depth. Too much lean meat is the most common error, because without some fat the kebab turns dry and crumbly. Chef's tip: wet your hands before shaping and chill the shaped skewers for 20 minutes, so they keep their shape when the thread goes on.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the kebab
- 1 ⅓ lb beef mince, about 20% fat
- 1 tbsp raw green papayagrated and pounded to a paste
- 2 tsp ginger paste
- 2 tsp garlic paste
- 4 tbsp crisp fried onionscrushed
- 2 tbsp gram flour (besan)dry-roasted until nutty
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 /4 tsp grated nutmeg
- 2 green chilliesvery finely chopped
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp mustard oil or neutral oilfor basting
You will need
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (5)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put 1 ⅓ lb beef mince, about 20% fat in a food processor with 1 tbsp raw green papaya, 2 tsp ginger paste, 2 tsp garlic paste and 1 ½ tsp salt and blitz for 2–3 minutes until it becomes a smooth, sticky paste.
10 minStep 2: Add 4 tbsp crisp fried onions, 2 tbsp gram flour (besan), 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 /4 tsp grated nutmeg and 2 green chillies and pulse to combine. Cover and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
3 minStep 3: With wet hands, press an eighth of the paste along each of the 8 flat metal skewers or thick bamboo skewers soaked in water into a long, even sausage about 2 cm thick, and chill the skewers on a tray for 20 minutes.
15 minStep 4: Wind 2 m plain white cotton kitchen thread (undyed) loosely in a spiral around each kebab from end to end, tying it off at both ends; it should hug the meat without cutting into it.
10 minStep 5: Heat a charcoal grill, an overhead grill or a ridged griddle pan to a medium-high heat and brush the kebabs with 3 tbsp mustard oil or neutral oil.
2 minStep 6: Grill for 10–12 minutes, turning every 2–3 minutes and basting with the remaining oil, until browned all over and a thermometer in the centre reads 160°F.
12 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 29 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does suti kabab take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 50 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ginger paste?
- Grated fresh ginger, same amount.
- What can I use instead of garlic paste?
- 1 crushed garlic clove per ½ tsp.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Doi chiraFlattened rice with curd
Nothing is cooked for doi chira, which is why it has been the breakfast of farmers and fishermen in Barisal for generations: flattened rice is rinsed, softened in thick, slightly sour curd and sweetened with jaggery or sugar, then mashed together with a ripe banana. The texture is soft and creamy with a little chew from the rice flakes, and the taste is cool, sweet and tangy. It is eaten on hot summer mornings, at village fairs and as part of the Pohela Boishakh spread, and it is a favourite of children and of anyone fasting who wants something gentle. The usual misstep is soaking the chira for too long, which turns it to paste; a quick rinse is all it needs before the curd does the rest. Chef's tip: use thick-cut chira, not the thin kind for frying, so the flakes hold their shape.
Pfälzer SaumagenStuffed pig's stomach
Saumagen is the pride of the Palatinate, served at wine-village festivals and family dinners from the Haardt hills to Ludwigshafen. A cleaned pig's stomach is stuffed with diced pork shoulder, pork sausage meat, potato and carrot seasoned with marjoram and nutmeg, poached slowly, then sliced thick and fried until crusty. The stomach works only as a casing and is ordered from a butcher; if you can't get one, bake the same filling in a covered terrine in a water bath. Serve with sauerkraut and mashed potato. Chef's tip: fill the stomach only three-quarters full, or it bursts as the potatoes swell.
German
Pork souvlaki
This is a pork recipe. Walk through any Greek town after dark, from Athens to Thessaloniki, and the smell of souvlaki stands drifts down the street; cubes of pork shoulder grilled on thin skewers are the country's favourite cheap supper, eaten standing up or at a plastic-table taverna. At home you marinate the meat in lemon, olive oil, garlic and dried oregano, grill it hard and fast, and pile it on warm pitta with tzatziki, tomato and red onion. Chef's tip: cut the pork into even 2.5 cm cubes and leave a little fat on; lean loin dries out, shoulder stays juicy over high heat.
Greek