In the mood for one of those sizzling tandoori platters, but can’t be bothered to leave the house? This is the recipe for you, friends. Nothing quite like the sound of that platter approaching, is there? You can HEAR the flavour coming towards you, people tilting their heads to catch a waft of the contrail. So yeah, I’ve been thinking a lot about seekh kebabs this week, because sometimes you just need spiced lamb, and since we’re in sizzly onion territory anyway this month here on Flavour Nuggs… I feel good about my decisions. I developed this recipe when I was writing my first book, Live Fire, and I’ve adapted it slightly for indoor cooking and to incorporate the onions. I love it because the kebabs are so plushy soft and extremely fresh and fragrant with coriander and green chilli. They rise above those bendy batons you get sometimes, which lack the herbal quality I’m looking for in a lamb kebab. When I was researching recipes, I spoke to a cookery teacher and chef living in Scotland called Sanjay Battycharya. Here’s what he taught me about making seekh kebabs:
Some absolute gold in there, I think we can all agree! He also spent years developing his garam masala for lamb, and was kind enough to share his recipe, which I’ve added below. It is warm, with a buzzing current of black and china/cubeb peppercorns (a tailed peppercorn with hints of allspice, which you can find easily online). A couple of points to note:
That’s it, I hope you love them as much as I do! Helen x
The kebab recipe is originally from my book Live Fire, which has lots of recipes with indoor cooking instructions, so not just for summer! 45g dried channa dal (if using) Sanjay’s Garam Masala #5 for Lamb Naan, yoghurt, salad, etc. to serve PREP OF CHANA DAL AND GARAM MASALA If you are using channa dal, soak it in water for 1 hour, then drain and place it in a saucepan with the water and some salt. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cook for about 30 minutes until all the water has been absorbed. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Spread the channa dal on a lightly oiled baking tray and cook in the oven for about 20 minutes, shaking halfway through. The channa dal will crisp up. Once cool, grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar. To make the garam masala, toast the whole spices in a dry pan over a medium heat for a minute or two until aromatic (move them around so they don’t burn), then grind in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar until very fine. Pass through a sieve to remove any strands of cardamom hull. Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Put the onion in a food processor and whizz to a slushy paste. Place the onion in a clean tea towel, a piece of muslin or a new cloth and squeeze out as much moisture as you can. In a bowl, combine the minced (ground) lamb, onion, coriander stalks and leaves, garlic, ginger, garam masala, chilli powder, green chilli, ground channa dal (if using) and a few generous pinches of salt. Mix well with your hands, kneading the meat against the bottom of the bowl for a couple of minutes as if you are making bread. Divide the mixture into 6 balls, then shape each one into logs. Finely slice the other onion and toss with a teaspoon of oil and season lightly with salt. Place the kebabs on a baking tray and cook under the hot grill for around 5 minutes, or until they look juicy and cooked through on one side. Remove the tray, carefully remove the kebabs, then scatter the onions over the tray. Place the kebabs cooked side down on top and put them back under to finish cooking for a further 5-10 minutes, turning again if needed. You’ll have some onions under the kebabs and some exposed, which will give you a nice mixture of textures. Once cooked through, serve the kebabs and onions with your choice of accompaniments.
SUPERSIZE ME! This week, I will share my favourite chicken tikka recipe and an EXCELLENT SANDWICH you can make with said chicken tikka. It’s been ooh, at least a week since we had a sandwich, lads. Plus! Golden Nuggets. Until next time, Flavour Fans x
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Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Flavour Nugget #66: Seekh kebabs with sizzling onions
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