DAHI Ke KEBAB / दही के कबाब (YOGURT PATTIES)


Yes! You read it rightthese are indeed made from yogurt. When I first had them, it was hard to believe that yogurt could be turned into kebabs (patties). Dahi ke kebab is indeed a very interesting and delectable snack/ appetiser that will bowl over not just your family but also your guests. These delicate kebabs are ideal for parties and will keep your guests guessing about its star ingredient – a rather unassuming and humble ingredient – yogurt!
The yogurt is hung for about four to five hours and when it turns thick enough, it is rolled into patties and shallow fried in a pan. The consistency of the kebab is almost cheese like (not the stringy cheese like) and it will remind you of labne; a shallow fried labne if I may say so.
To procure hung curd/ hung yogurt, place a muslin cloth or a cheese-cloth (doubled) over a medium sized pot and pour the yogurt over on it. Join the ends of the cloth and tie into a knot. Hang the yogurt (I usually hang it by the kitchen faucet) and place a pot underneath it to catch the drip. Ideally, hang the cloth in the refrigerator in a similar way to avoid the yogurt from getting sour (it does get sour if it is kept at room temperature for a few hours especially in hot climate). Keep it hung for 4-5 hours, preferably overnight. Squeeze out water, if any still left, by gently squeezing the cloth from near the knot. Remove the drained yogurt from the cloth and it is ready to use.
 
You will need…
250 grams (1 cup approx) thick hung yogurt
2 tsp slightly roasted Bengal gram powder (besan) (I didn’t level the tea spoon but neither was it heaped)
¾ tsp roasted cumin powder
½ tsp garam masala (mine wasn’t very strong)
½ tsp dry mint powder
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup bread crumbs
A pinch of salt
A pinch of garlic powder (optional)
A pinch of garam masala
½ tsp finely chopped cilantro (dhaniya patta)
Oil for shallow frying
To serve
Mint Cilantro Chutney Suggestion: Add a table spoon of roasted peanuts while making this chutney. It goes very well with these kebabs. Also, leave out the chaat masala since the kebabs have just a wee bit of tangy flavor. 

{I could procure 1 cup of yogurt from 3 cups of homemade yogurt. It is very important to ensure that there is virtually no water in the yogurt and it should be a thick mass.After I had drained the yogurt, I let it sit in the refrigerator overnight}

Mix in the first six ingredients together.
Mix in the next five ingredients and keep it aside.
Make eight balls of the yogurt mix and using your palms slightly flatten it out pinching the edges if they tend to break. Coat them in bread crumbs. (if it gets difficult to work with the yogurt, grease your hands with a little oil)
Heat a non-stick pan or skillet and add a little oil.
Place the patties in the hot pan and let them turn golden brown. If need arises, feel free to add a little more oil, one spoon at a time, while frying.
The kebabs are delicate so you need to carefully flip them over to brown the other side.
Remove the patties on an absorbent paper and serve them hot and crisp with the chutney of your choice.
Yields: 8 kebabs

Note: If the yogurt becomes difficult to handle while making patties, refrigerate them for a while and then start working with it again. 
Note: The kebabs can shaped a day ahead and refrigerated. Just ensure that you cover them them with a cling wrap. Remove them 10 minutes before popping them in to the frying pan.  
Note: The thickened yogurt gets pretty rich (even if it is low fat) & I find the kebabs quite filling and for a party starter, 2-3 pieces per person should suffice along with other starter options. 


Thanks for visiting and see you soon again!

Vegans can give a try to these Raw Banana Kebabs.

Post linked to Nancy’s monthly YBR event
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69 thoughts on “DAHI Ke KEBAB / दही के कबाब (YOGURT PATTIES)

  1. Those patties look soooo delicious and melt in the mouth kind…I think I can get the mint chutney’s awesome smell here. Ohh! let me go and eat a piece of cake at least:(

  2. I am amazed and at the same time am excited to see patties made with yogurt. Its so good and lovely. Now, hung yogurt is not available anywhere nearby where I stay, therefore I am wondering if I can use normal yogurt? We love patties and we dive in immediately after they come out from the hot pan.

    1. Thanks Nav.
      You seemed to have missed reading a portion of the post where I explained how to make hung curd. It is NOT available in market anywhere.

      It can be made from regular yogurt.

    1. Yes Daniela, I believe they can be made from Greek yogurt however I have never used Greek yogurt myself and I am not to sure about its exact consistency.

      You may need to turn it into hung yogurt (i have explained how to do that in this post) since the yogurt needs to be very thick. Any amount of water will spell doom for these patties.

  3. when i first heard about these kebabs, i was totally skeptical. but not now. loved the way you have styled the kebabs. i have a similar strainer and taking a cue from you, may be i copy your styling;-)

  4. Very interesting. I have never heard of this one. I was wondering ho wit would hold together but I can imagine the chickpea flour helping with that. I seriously cannot wait to try this out. Greek yogurt will be great with one, wow an inventive and great dish. Thanks a lot for the idea.

  5. What an interesting patty! Yes, I was surprised by the name. 🙂 Thanks for breaking one open so we could see the texture. What a great texture and wonderful looking patties! Love this!

  6. Aren’t these beautiful! I’ve never used Bengal gram powder before. I’ll have to look that up to see what it is. Nice recipe and the mint cilantro chutney sounds so tasty with these. I look forward to trying them. Thanks for sharing the recipe and lovely photos.

  7. Wow, so interesting…yogurt patties…and from the ingredients must taste delicious, lots pf spices…yum!
    I am always learning something new…
    Thank you so much for the kind words, I really appreciate…
    Have a great week 😀

  8. Oh I tried Dahi kebabs in July and they were delicious.Yours look so crispy and that mint chutney must pair beautifully with it.Lovely pics.

  9. Now thats a different recipe! The closest comparison (texture-wise) I can make is to fried mozzarella which is very gooey inside. Your patties look nice and firm though.

  10. This is beautiful…and what a surprise! I would have never thought. I’m eager to try this now. Thank you for sharing with me…and expanding my culinary horizons!

  11. I once had these dahi ke kebab in Jaipur, roasted on charcoal fire.Method looks slightly different as you ahve made it tikki style. Will try this recipe soon. Beautiful spread and how do you manage to compose such beautiful images everytime. 🙂

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