Seekh, Chapli, Reshmi and Gola: Pakistani Kababs Explained

Kabab is a category, not a dish, and the versions on a Pakistani menu are made in genuinely different ways. Knowing which is which is the difference between ordering four things that taste alike and ordering a platter that has range.

Seekh kabab: skewered and grilled

Seekh means skewer. Minced meat is mixed with onion, green chilli, coriander and spice, moulded by hand around a flat metal skewer and cooked over charcoal in the tandoor. It is grilled, never fried, and it is always non-vegetarian in its traditional form.

The texture is the giveaway: slightly coarse, with a charred outside and visible flecks of herb and chilli. It should taste of smoke as much as of spice.

Chapli kabab: flat, fried, Peshawari

Chapli is the outlier. It is a flat patty of minced beef mixed with tomato, onion, coriander seed, pomegranate seed and a great deal of green chilli, then shallow fried rather than grilled. It comes from Peshawar and it is the most heavily spiced kabab on most menus.

It is wide and thin, not cylindrical, and it is genuinely hot. Chapli Kabab is AED 12 on our menu, which makes it the cheapest way to find out whether you like the strong end of Pakistani spicing.

Reshmi kabab: the mild one

Reshmi means silken. The mince is worked with cream, cheese or yoghurt until it is smooth, then skewered and grilled gently. It is pale, soft and mild, and it is the kabab to order for children or for anyone avoiding heat. Reshmi Kabab is AED 26.

Gola kabab: minced to a paste

Gola means ball. The meat is pounded far longer than for seekh, often with raw papaya as a tenderiser, until it is a smooth paste, then shaped and grilled. The result is noticeably softer and richer than seekh, with almost no grain to it. It is usually the most tender kabab on a menu.

What to order

• Chapli Kabab, AED 12: fried, flat, heavily spiced, hot
• Chicken Kabab, AED 24: grilled, straightforward, a safe default
• Reshmi Kabab, AED 26: creamy, soft, mild
• Mixed BBQ Platter, AED 45: several kinds at once, the efficient way to compare
• Shahi BBQ Platter, AED 95, and Monal BBQ Platter, AED 165, for larger tables

If you are ordering for a group, the platters are the sensible route: you get the range without four separate decisions. They also appear on the dinner buffet from the live grill, and in the catering packages from AED 45 a head.

For where kababs sit against the rest of the menu, see what to order on a first visit.