Maman Khanom’s Shami (Pan-Fried Meat Patties)

A picky eater is a real handful — you don’t really get it until you’ve raised one. I was a picky eater myself as a kid, and even a dish this delicious didn’t appeal to me. But my sister and the rest of the cousins loved Grandma’s shami. Just hearing the word “shami” always took me back to hers.

That stuck with me until recently, when Maman Khanom came to stay with us and made it for us again — and it completely changed how I see shami. I want to share this recipe with everyone so you can have the same experience I did. But since Maman Khanom asked me to credit it under my grandmother’s name, I’m keeping that title, so her sweet memory stays with it.

Maman Khanom’s Shami (Pan-Fried Meat Patties)

Maman Khanom came to stay with us and made shami again — and it completely changed how I see this dish. Written down just the way she explained it to me.

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

For the patties

• ground meat
• chickpea flour
• finely grated carrot
• finely grated onion
• grated garlic
• 2-3 eggs
• salt, pepper, and a little cumin powder (to prevent bloating)
• baking soda (fruit salt is a better substitute if available) or baking powder, optional

For the sauce

• onion, for the sauce
• vinegar
• sugar

Method

 

1. Before anything else, sauté the finely grated onion with the garlic in a little oil — this is what makes the patties light and airy. Then mix all the ingredients together and let the mixture rest for an hour.
2. Knead the mixture again and shape it into patties, pressing a light dimple in the center of each with your finger (not as deep as for donuts or bagels).
3. Fry all the patties in oil and set them aside.
4. For the sauce, sauté chopped onions in the same oil you fried the patties in. Set the onions aside, then in the same oil add sugar and vinegar with a little water until the sugar dissolves. Add the patties and fried onions to the sauce and let it simmer briefly — just be careful the sauce doesn’t dry out completely.
5. Arrange the patties in a serving dish and garnish with the fried onions. I hope this recipe changes how you see shami, the same way it changed mine.