Vegan Galouti Kebabs

Light, melt in the mouth vegan galouti kebabs recipe is as easy as eating a dozen of them. Simple kebabs that can be frozen and enjoyed as shawarma too.

Hello HTS Community

I am back with another vegan kebabs recipe and this time we’re making the famous Galouti Kebabs.

What are Galouti Kebabs?

Galouti kebabs are a signature dish from the city of Lucknow, India, and are renowned for their melt-in-your-mouth texture and rich flavors. The word “Galouti” is derived from the Urdu word “Galawat,” which means melt in the mouth. These kebabs are traditionally made with minced meat, usually lamb or beef, although variations with chicken, turkey, are also popular.

How are we making them vegan?

We are making vegan galouti kebabs with red kidney beans (rajma), which mimics the color, texture and mouthfeel of regular kebabs. We can go with canned beans or soak kidney beans overnight and then pressure cook to proceed with kebab making process. Those beans are then converted to a paste and mixed with a flavor bomb that we will create.

Galouti kebabs are often served as an appetizer or as part of a larger meal, accompanied by various accompaniments such as chutney, sliced onions, lemon wedges, and naan bread or parathas. They are prized for their rich, aromatic flavors and tender texture, making them a favorite among most people and a must-try for anyone exploring the diverse cuisine of India. Chef Davinder Kumar’s book ‘Just Kebabs‘ celebrates 366 kebab recipes with more than 100 vegetarian ones as well.

Ingredients you will need:

• Red kidney beans- 1.5 cups (canned or soaked overnight)
• Fresh coriander leaves- 1 cup
• Green chilies- 2
• Garlic- 5-6 cloves
• Ginger- 1 inch
• Fried onions– 1/3 cup
• Gram flour/ chickpea flour- 1/3 cup
• Dried rose petals- 1 teaspoon
• Salt- to taste
• Garam masala- 1/2 teaspoon
• Oil- for shallow frying

Steps to make Vegan Galouti Kebabs:

• Start with pressure cooking red kidney beans that have been soaked overnight. If you’re using canned beans, skip this step.
• Once the beans are cooked, let them cool down slightly and then drain excess water. For canned beans too, drain access water and keep aside.
• In a pan start roasting gram/chickpea flour for about 3 minutes on low flame and then keep aside to cool down.
• While the beans are cooling down, in a mixer jar, put together fresh coriander, green chilies, garlic, ginger and fried onions to make a thick paste. If required, use a teaspoon or two of water, not more. Take out the paste in a bowl and set aside. This is our flavor bomb.
• In the same mixer jar take cooked beans and make a thick paste. If required use drained water from beans. Transfer paste to a bowl.
• To the beans paste now add our flavor bomb, followed by roasted gram flour and then dried and crushed rose petals. To this add salt and garam masala. Mix everything nicely so that there are no lumps of gram flour.
• Heat a cast iron pan/skillet for a minute on medium heat, make sure it is not too hot. Pour oil and take a spoonful of the kebab mixture and put it on the pan. The pan shouldn’t be very hot, we have to give these kebabs time to form shape, solidify and lightly crispy up on the outside.
• Drizzle more oil and let these cook on medium flame for 2 minutes before flipping on the other side.
• Flip gently and let the other side cook for another 2 minutes. Serve immediately with fresh onion, lemon, green chutney and naan.