2 lbs ground lamb, 20-25% fat (ask the butcher for shoulder)
2 tbsp LXV Perfumed Garden blend
1 small yellow onion, grated and squeezed bone dry in a towel
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
2 green chilies, minced fine
1/2 cup cilantro and 1/4 cup mint, chopped very fine
1/4 cup roasted chickpea flour (besan)
1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
2 tbsp melted ghee, for basting
Sliced onion, lime and mint-yogurt, to serve
Method
Squeeze the grated onion until it is genuinely dry — any water in the mix and the kebabs will slide off the skewer. This is the step everyone skips and everyone regrets.
Combine the lamb, LXV Perfumed Garden blend, dried onion, ginger-garlic paste, chilies, herbs, chickpea flour, salt and pepper in a bowl.
Knead hard with your hand for 4-5 full minutes, until the mixture turns tacky and pulls away from the bowl in one mass. You are developing the protein — this is what binds it.
Cover and chill at least 1 hour so the fat firms up.
With wet hands, take a fistful and press it around a flat metal skewer in a long cylinder about 1 inch thick, squeezing gently to seal. Repeat, keeping your hands wet.
Grill over hot direct charcoal, or under a very hot broiler, 4 minutes. Turn a quarter-turn and baste with ghee. Continue turning and basting every 2 minutes for 10-12 minutes total, until deeply charred outside and just cooked within.
Slide the kebabs off the skewers, rest 3 minutes, and serve with sharp raw onion, lime and mint-yogurt.