Vegan and gluten-free melt-in-mouth kebabs made with chana dal and jackfruit! These are flavored with whole and ground spices and make a delicious snack or appetizer. You can also enjoy them with parathas!

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 45 minutes
  • Total time: 60 minutes
  • Yield: 12 kababs
  • Category: Snack
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons oil (10 ml)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 whole green cardamom
  • 1 black cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 14 oz can young jackfruit (drained & rinsed, 235 grams jackfruit)
  • 1/2 cup chana dal (105 grams)
  • 5 large garlic cloves
  • 1 inch ginger
  • 1-2 green chilies (adjust to taste)
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt (divided)
  • 3/4 cup water (+ extra water to grind the mixture)
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder)
  • 3-4 tablespoons oil (for cooking the kebabs)

Method

  1. Press the saute button on the Instant Pot. Once it displays hot, add the oil and then add the whole spices- cumin seeds, bay leaf, green cardamom, black cardamom and peppercorns. Saute for few seconds until the spices are fragrant.
  2. Then add the jackfruit (if using canned like me, make sure you drain all the liquid from the can and rinse it well before using in the recipe), chana dal, garlic, ginger, green chili and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
  3. Add 3/4 cup water (if you have a 8qt, you might need to add little more water), stir and close the lid. Press the manual or pressure cook button and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes with the pressure valve in the sealing position. Let the pressure release naturally.
  4. Once the pressure is released, open the lid and remove the bay leaf and black cardamom. Transfer mixture to a blender.
  5. Add little water (I added around 2 tablespoons) and blend. Some texture is okay here so it's good to have some chana dal remaining in the mixture as such (without blending), it adds to the texture of the kababs. Remember to not use a lot of water to blend else you won't be able to bind the mixture into kebabs.
  6. Transfer the blended mixture to a bowl. Add chopped onion, coriander powder, garam masala, amchur and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix everything together using a spoon or your hands.
  7. Now take a lemon size portion (around 50 to 55 grams) of the mixture, roll between your hands and then flatten it into shape into a circle, around 2.5 inches in diameter. Make all kebabs similarly.
  8. How heat 3 to 4 tablespoons oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, carefully place the kebabs into hot oil. Cook one side for around 3 minutes until it turns golden brown, then carefully flip (be very careful as these kebabs are crumbly) and cook the other side until that's golden brown as well, around 3 more minutes. Fry all kebabs similarly. Serve these kathal chana dal kebabs with chutney and parathas.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.