Name: Bun Kebabs
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Pakistani
Ingredients: 8-10 whole red chilies; 1 ½ teaspoon cumin seeds; 1 cup channa daal- washed & soaked; 3- inch piece ginger; 3 - 4 cloves garlic; 1 medium onion; As required salt; 2 medium potatoes- boiled & mashed; 1½ teaspoon khatai powder (citric acid), optional; 1½ teaspoon chat masala; ½ teaspoon garam masala; 1 - 2 eggs, well beaten, for dipping; For frying- ghee/ clarified butter; As required Buns; As required Tomatoes- sliced; As required Onions- sliced; As required Cucumber - sliced; As required- Green chutney

Jump to Recipe

Karachi- the biggest city of Pakistan is known for its vibrant street food culture. The first thing that comes to mind when talking about Karachi’ street food has to be ‘Bun Kebabs’ and I’m sharing the recipe for this delicious treat with you today. Bun Kebab is simply a shallow-fried spiced vegetarian kebab/ patty made with lentils & potatoes, which is encased in toasted buns along with green chutney & sliced vegetables.

Its a fairly simple recipe, which you can make with some basic condiments and you can also prepare in advance so you can easily serve these in parties, or even for Iftar in the month of Ramadan. You can also find a delicious green chutney recipe form my blog here.

Table Of Contents

Recipe at a Glance
Step by Step Process
FAQs
Serving Suggestions
Substitutions & Variations
Storage & Make Ahead

Recipe at a Glance

Channa daal- (split gram lentil ) Washed & soaked

Condiments for daal- whole red chilies, cumin seeds, ginger, garlic, onion, salt

Potatoes- boiled & mashed

Condiments for potatoes- khatai powder, chat masala, garam masala

Eggs- beaten for dipping

Ghee/ clarified butter- for frying

Buns – you can even use sliders and make small kebabs accordingly

Green chutney- as required

Vegetable for garnish- tomatoes, onions- sliced

Step by Step Process

In washed and soaked dal, add whole red chilies, cumin seeds, ginger, garlic and onion, cover with enough water and cook until tender.
Add salt and grind the mixture.
In boiled and mashed potatoes, add khatai powder, chat masala and garam masala and mix.
Combine daal and potato mixture, mix well and make kebabs.
Shallow fry kebabs, dipped in beaten eggs.
On toasted buns, apply chutney, put kebab & vegetables and cover with the other bun.

FAQs

What is the difference between bun kabab and burger?

Bun kabab originates from South Asia and is a super popular street food in Pakistan. You will not find any market in Karachi that doesn’t have cart that sells Bun kabab often people standing and eating or just perched on a small stool.
Burger hails from west but the concept is same, buns in different shape or size and a meat/veggie patty with assortment of complimentary condiments.

How much protein is in Bun kabab?

This particular kabab recipe is made from chana daal and though lentils do have high protein content, it comes with its own carb overload. The added potatoes, the buns do not make these an ideal choice for protein source.

Serving Suggestions

You can serve bun kebabs best with green chutney and some sliced onions.

You can also serve these with French fries.

For large parties or game nights, you can also use slider buns instead of burger buns, make smaller patties and serve as appetizers.

Substitutions & Variations

You can substitute daal/ potato kebabs with beef shami kebabs dipped in eggs.

You can also add ketchup along with green chutney for a variety in flavor.

Also, you can add cucumber or coleslaw in bun kebabs along with tomatoes and onions for added flavor.

Storage & Make Ahead

You can make these kebabs in advance and store in refrigerator. When needed, simply dip in the eggs and fry the kebabs and make bun kebabs.

I have also frozen the kababs the kababs with and without eggs but i feel the potatoes do not really taste well when frozen in this way.

Yield: 12 bun kebabs

Bun Kebabs

Bun Kebab is a popular Karachi street-style food, which is simply a shallow-fried vegetarian spiced kebab/ patty made with lentils & potatoes, which is encased in toasted buns along with green chutney & sliced vegetables.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Additional Time 45 minutes

Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

For Patties/ Kebabs

8-10 whole red chilies
1 ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 cup channa daal- washed & soaked
3- inch piece ginger
3 - 4 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
As required salt
2 medium potatoes- boiled & mashed
1½ teaspoon khatai powder (citric acid), optional
1½ teaspoon chat masala
½ teaspoon garam masala
1 - 2 eggs, well beaten, for dipping
For frying- ghee/ clarified butter

Assembling

As required Buns
As required Tomatoes- sliced
As required Onions- sliced
As required Cucumber - sliced
As required- Green chutney

Instructions

For Patties/ Kebabs:

Wash and soak channa daal for 4-5 hours.
Add whole red chilies, cumin seeds, ginger, garlic & onion to soaked daal and cook until tender.
Add salt to the daal mixture and grind well.
Boil and mash potatoes.
Add khatai powder, chat masala and garam masala to potatoes and mix.
Combine daal & potato mixtures and mix well.
Make kebabs approximately 12, for regular sized buns.
Dip each kebab in beaten egg and shallow fry in ghee/oil on a hot plate/ frying pan/ tawa for a couple of minutes on each side on high flame.

Assembling:

Toast buns from both sides.
Apply green chutney on both sides of bun, put kebab, tomato, cucumber & onion slices and cover with the other bun.
Serve with green chutney,

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 119Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 129mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 5g