Shami Kabab in the Bronx, NY

Shami kabab is a Pakistani patty of finely minced halal chicken and chana dal, cooked with ginger, garlic and whole spices, ground smooth, shaped by hand and pan fried until golden. Chaman Restaurant makes shami kabab fresh every day in the Bronx, NY, for dine in, pickup or delivery, from $3.99 a piece.

What Is Shami Kabab?

Shami kabab is one of the most loved snacks in Pakistani food, and one of the hardest to get right. The chicken is simmered with chana dal and whole spices until both are soft enough to fall apart, then the water is cooked off and the mixture is ground into a fine, almost velvety paste. Fresh coriander, green chili and a little onion go in at the end, the mixture is shaped into flat round patties, and each one is pan fried so it holds a thin golden crust around a soft, warmly spiced middle.

The name comes from the old word for Syria, where the dish is said to have traveled from before it settled into Mughal kitchens. In Pakistan today it is the kabab you find at every wedding starter table, inside burger buns at roadside stalls, and on the table for iftar during Ramadan.

How Chaman Makes Its Shami Kabab

At Chaman Restaurant we make shami kabab the slow way. The chicken and dal are cooked together from scratch each morning rather than from a mix, so the texture is smooth without being pasty, and the spice is deep rather than sharp. Every kabab is shaped by hand and fried to order, which is why the outside is crisp when it reaches your table rather than soft from sitting under a lamp.

Our kababs are 100% halal. Every piece of chicken that comes into the kitchen at 2805 White Plains Rd is halal certified, and nothing else is cooked here, so there is no cross contamination to think about.

Ways to Order Shami Kabab

Shami kabab is $3.99 per piece as a starter or a side, served with chutney. Order two pieces with rice for $9.99 and it becomes a full plate. It is also the patty inside our egg burger, where a shami kabab and a spiced omelette sit on a soft bun with cabbage, onion and cucumber from $9.99. For something lighter, add a shami kabab to the Sialkoti dal chawal for $11.99.

For a party or an office lunch, shami kababs can be ordered by the piece in any quantity. Call (917) 733-3188 a day ahead for larger orders, and see the catering page for our tray menu.

Shami, Seekh or Chapli?

All three are Pakistani kababs, and they are very different. Shami kabab is smooth and soft, made from chicken ground with lentils and pan fried, with a mild warm spice. Seekh kabab is coarsely minced beef or chicken pressed onto a skewer and grilled over charcoal, so it is smoky and juicy. Chapli kabab is a wide flat beef patty from Peshawar, pan fried with whole coriander seed and tomato, and the boldest of the three. If you want to try them side by side, the mix grill platter carries seekh, chapli, tikka and malai boti together, and a few shami kababs on the side complete the spread.

Order Shami Kabab Near You

Chaman Restaurant is at 2805 White Plains Rd, Bronx, NY 10467, a short walk from the Allerton Avenue station, open seven days a week. Dine in, call (917) 733-3188 for pickup, or order delivery through Uber Eats or DoorDash from the order online page. Shami kabab pairs well with butter naan, chai, or as the starter before a chicken karahi or biryani.

Chaman Restaurant
2805 White Plains Rd, Bronx, NY 10467
Phone: (917) 733-3188
Order Online | View Full Menu