Bun Kebabs- Popular Karachi Street-Style Food

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.

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.

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.