Bun kebab () or anda shami () is a sandwich that originated in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, but is now popular all throughout

South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

. Bun kebabs are a signature in Pakistani metro cities like

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

and

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

, but they can be found all over Pakistan. Bun Kebab vendors are scattered all across Karachi, vendors on Burns Road being particularly famous, and imitated by frozen bun kebabs sold in South Asian supermarkets across the world. In India, it is eaten as a regular street food, specifically, in the Indian cities of

Bhopal Bhopal (; ISO 15919, ISO: Bhōpāl, ) is the capital (political), capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes,'' due to ...

Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...

, and

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

; it is especially popular with

Indian Muslim Islam is India's Religion in India, second-largest religion, with 14.2% of the country's population, or approximately 172.2 million people, identifying as adherents of Islam in a 2011 census. India also has the Islam by country, third-larg ...

s, the dish is eaten late-night during

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

. Bun kebabs are usually sold from roadside stalls, side street vendors, and fast food restaurants. They are also commonly known as anday wala burger. A ‘fried’ version of the bun kebab is popular in

, known as ‘bun plaster’ due to copious amounts of butter and super tender or paste-like kebab mixture used in it. Bun kababs are usually eaten as a main course or snack.

History

The origins of the bun kabab trace back to Karachi during the 1950s, however its exact inception is debated. Some claim that Haji Abdul Razzak introduced the sandwich as a quick meal for workers in 1953. Another claim is that the bun kebab evolved from the vada pav, a fast food style sandwich native to the Indian city of

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

. A third view is that it was first found outside the Khayam Cinema as a food made primarily for moviegoers. After the initial emergence of the bun kabab, new patty variations rose to popularity, including dal patties and shami kebab.

Ingredients

A bun kabab consists of a shallow-fried spicy patty called

shami kebab Shami kabab or shaami kabab is a South Asian variety of kebab, composed of a shallow fried small patty of minced meat, generally beef, but occasionally lamb or mutton (a chicken version exists as well), with ground chickpeas, egg as binder, ...

, onions, and

chutney A chutney () is a spread typically associated with cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Chutneys are made in a wide variety of forms, such as a tomato relish, a ground peanut garnish, yogurt, or curd, cucumber, spicy coconut, spicy onion ...

and/or

raita Raita is a side dish and condiment in Indian cuisine made of dahi (curd), dahi (yogurt, often referred to as curd) together with raw or cooked vegetables, fruit, or, in the case of boondi raita, with fried droplets of batter made from besan (ch ...

in a grilled

bun A bun is a type of bread that is round and small enough that it can generally be eaten hand-held. Whether a bun is considered sweetened or unsweetened differs between countries: it is considered sweetened in the United Kingdom, a savory bread in ...

. The chutney is made up from tamarind (imli), salt, cumin powder, and whole red chillies. Bun kabab patties are typically composed of ground beef or mutton, ground lentils, powdered cumin seeds, and an egg batter. Although they can be vegetarian. The patties are fried in

ghee Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from South Asia. It is commonly used for cooking, as a Traditional medicine of India, traditional medicine, and for Hinduism, Hindu religious rituals. Description Ghee is typically prepared by ...

or oil. A bun kabab can also be served with a fried egg or omelette and topped with tomatoes, cucumbers, or onions.

Variations

The patty, shami kabab, can be made of chicken, beef,

mutton Lamb and mutton, collectively sheep meat (or sheepmeat) is one of the most common meats around the world, taken from the domestic sheep, ''Ovis aries'', and generally divided into lamb, from sheep in their first year, hogget, from sheep in thei ...

, potato (aloo wala), egg (anday wala), or lentil (daal). The beef and egg recipe is the most popular, especially among street vendors.

References

{{Sandwhich Sandwiches Pakistani cuisine Pakistani fast food

Kebabs Cuisine of Karachi

History

Ingredients

Variations

See also

References