Easy Hara Bhara Kabab

Hara Bhara Kabab are pan-fried vegetable patties packed with green vegetables (like spinach & green peas), fresh herbs (scallions and cilantro) and are redolent of indian spices like roasted cumin and garam masala. Gluten Free and easily made vegan!

I like to pan fry hara bhara kebabs because that makes for a crispy crust and a moist center, the ideal texture we are looking to achieve. However, I am including air fryer method too in this post. Serve these veg kebabs with indian chutneys or a dip of your choice.

While I was working on what Diwali recipes to share this year, I really wanted to have a vivid line up that would have something in store for everybody. So while paneer lovers among your guest list will really enjoy vegetarian appetizers like achari paneer tikka or tandoori paneer tikka, you could consider these green vegetarian kabab to add a unique appeal on the dinner table.

What is Hara Bhara Kabab

Hara Bhara kabab are a popular appetizer or snack in north india. You would find them on menus of indian restaurants as well as on wedding menus. These kebabs are really favored by the vegetarians for their veggie loaded texture and taste. The green kebab patties are not only visually appealing due to their vibrant green color but also pack a ton of flavor & nutrition!

In Hindi, hara means "green", bhara means "full of". Kebabs are small pieces or bites of vegetables, or chicken or meat that could be roasted, grilled or pan fried. Hara bhara kabab translates to kebabs full of greens.

And rightly so, hara bhara kabab recipe is full of greens like palak (spinach), spring onions or scallions, green peas, fresh herbs like cilantro and flavor of ginger, garlic, green chillies along with spices like black pepper powder, garam masala powder, roasted cumin powder and chaat masala.

About My Recipe

Ingredients

• Potato - I use russet potato, it's starchy and I love the taste. You could use gold or yellow potatoes if you wish.
• Spinach (Palak) - I use spinach bunch, however you could use baby spinach too.
• Green Peas - I use fresh green peas and blanch them (how-to below). You could use frozen, thawed green peas.
• Paneer - Always makes these kebabs taste great, but can be skipped for a dairy free version.
• Scallions/Spring onions - Mild onion flavor tastes great in these kebabs without making it watery.
• Ginger, Garlic- Rougly chopped in small size else big chunks remain in the mixture.
• Green Chilies - Are the only heat that I add. I use indian green chillies that are pretty hot. Use serraro peppers instead.
• Cilantro - Use stems and leaves all. You could add a few mint leaves too if you wish.
• Chickpeas - I use canned garbanzo beans.
• Almond flour - Use superfine almond flour. Can be skipped.
• Besan or Gram flour is often used in marinades or kebabs as a binding agent. It absorbs the extra moisture of the kebab mixture and keeps the kababs from falling apart.
• Spice Powders- Roasted Cumin Powder, Garam masala powder, chaat masala powder (for tangy smokiness), salt

Step By Step Instructions (Step Photos)

Preperation

All these preperation steps below can also be done 1-2 days in advance.

1. Potatoes - Boil the Potatoes in a pressure cooker or instant pot. Peel and cool the boiled potatoes. Using a box grater, grate the cooled potatoes.
2. Paneer- Using a box grater, grate the paneer.
3. Chickpeas - Pop the can open and drain the liquid. Put the chickpeas in a colander and wash 1-2 times under running water. Let drain fully. Or you could save some scratch boiled chickpeas when you boil at home.
4. Roughly chop scallions (white & green parts), green chilies, garlic & ginger.
5. Besan - Dry roast the besan (gram flour)in a pan on low medium heat until its nutty.

How To Blanch Spinach & Green Peas

6. Spinach - Clean the spinach leaves and discard the tough stems if any. To blanch, add spinach to a boiling pot of salted water. After 1-2 minutes or as soon as the spinach has wilted, pick up using tongs and add to a large pot of ice cold water. This stops cooking process and preserves the color of spinach.
7. Green Peas - I use fresh green peas. To the same pot of boiling water in which we blanched the spinach, add the green peas. Let boil for 4-6 minutes. Pour over a colander to discard the hot water. Let peas drain. If you are using frozen & thawed peas (see below for instructions), no need to blanch them since they are already blanched.

Note - Drain the spinach and green peas fully to remove excess water else the kebab mixture will get wet and the kababs will spread while pan frying.

To thaw Green Peas - One way is to leave the peas in the fridge for a few hours to defrost. The quicker method is to place the peas in a sieve and run cold water over them for a few minutes.This way they dont cook and are ready to use instantly.

Make The Kabab Mixture

8. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, add the blanched spinach & green peas, ginger, garlic, cilantro, scallions and chickpeas.
9. Process on low speed for 2-4 minutes until the vegetables are nicely chopped and the chickpeas are broken down. Thereafter, pulse a few times until the mixture starts binding together. Don't process too fine, we don't want a pasty consistency.Also, the kabab mixture starts getting wet.
10. In a large mixing bowl, take out the ground vegetable mixture. Add the grated potatoes and paneer.
11. Then, add all the spice powders, roasted gram flour, almond powder and salt. With gentle hands, mix everything. The kabab mixture would come together like a soft dough. If needed oil your hands to smoothen it out.
12. Chill the mixture for 10-15 minutes only in the refrigerator.

Tip - Don't squish while mixing else the vegetables will start releasing their juices and the kabab mixture will get wet.

Shape The Kababs

13. Grease your hands with a little oil and take a small portion (about 2-2.5 tablespoon) of the kabab mixture and roll into a ball. Roll equal portions of the mixture similarly and shape all the kabab. 
14. Press lightly to shape into oval or round patty. You could make the kebabs as large or small as you wish.
15. Shape all the kababs in the same manner and layer on a plate.

Note - Refer to my shaping tips in a section below.

Pan Fry The Kababs

16. Place a heavy tawa/pan or skillet on a low-medium flame on a stove. Spread 2 tablespoon oil all over the pan. You could use ghee or butter for pan frying as well. Ghee or butter gives a rich, nuttier taste.
17. Once the oil is hot, layer 5-7 kababs in a single layer on the hot tawa.
18. Cook the kabab on first side until they become golden brown and develop a slightly crispy exterior.
19. Reduce the stove to low flame and carefully, flip using a rubber spatula and let crisp up on the second side. You can turn over a few times to make sure both sides are evenly crispy and golden to your satisfaction. Pan fry all the kababs in a similar manner. 
20. Serve hara bhara kabab with green chutney,mint chutney, tamarind chutney, hot garlic sauce or tomato ketchup.

Air Fryer Hara Bhara Kabab

Pre heat your air fryer for 2 mintues on 350F. Line the air fryer basket with a perforated sheet (this step is optional). Brush oil on both sides of the hara bhara kabab and  Brush oil on both sides and place kababs in a single layer, a bit apart from each other. 

Air fry for 8 minutes. Flip midway for even browing on both sides. Turn up the air fryer temperature to 400F and air fry for 2 more minutes to crisp them.

Each appliance is different so please adjust the timings as needed.

Recipe Tips

• If you do not have chaat masala, add some lemon juice or lime juice.
• Instead of besan (gram flour), you could use corn starch, oat flour, chickpea flour, all purpose flour or use fine breadcrumbs.
• Dairy Free Version - If you want to skip the paneer, you can do so. Add additional 1 medium potato in that case.
• Nut Free Version - Skip the almond flour.
• If the kabab are breaking while pan frying, that means there is moisture in them, add 1-2 tablespoon more of roasted besan.
• You may adjust the level of spiciness to suit your taste by adding more or less green chillies.
• Add few soaked and chopped raisins (kishmish) for a sweet bite here and there.
• Don't' go overboard on garam masala or bhuna jeera else the spices will mask the taste of vegetables.

Tips for Shaping Hara Bhara Kabab

Shaping kababs takes a bit of practice, especially if you're new to it. Don't worry if the first few kababs seem difficult to bring together and don't look that perfect; the taste is what matters the most. Keep working on it and you will improve your shaping skills.

• Chill the Kabab Mixture: Chilled mixture is easier to shape into patties and holds its shape better during cooking.
• Grease your hands liberally and as often as needed while shaping the kababs. I avoid using water because you don't want the kababs to get wet. Wet kababs will sizzle as soon as they hit hot oil and will start breaking.
• Thickness of Kababs - Avoid making too thick kababs for they will taste mushy in the center. Make uniform-sized patties for even cooking that aren't too thin or too thick.
• Use gentle hands when shaping the kababs to make sure that they don't become dense.
• If you want all your kababs to look exactly the same size, weigh the portions (30g -40g) using a food scale and then shape them into patties.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve as appetizer or snack with chutneys such as tamarind chutney, green chutney, or hot garlic sauce.
• Make a Wrap - These green kababs make excellent veg wraps. Tuck inside pita pockets or roll inside flatbreads like plain paratha or flour tortillas with tahini sauce or yogurt sauce.
• Chaat Plate - Use these kabab and put together a chaat plate similar to matar paneer chaat or aloo tikki chaat. Drizzle salted yogurt, assortment of chutney and chopped onions, corinader leaves and chaat spices.
• Pack in Lunchboxes - Make mini hara bhara kababs and pack with some hummus and crackers in kid lunchboxes.
• Serve with indian flatbreads like roti or naan and a creamy curry like shahi paneer korma or hearty dal like dal bukhara for an enjoyable indian spread!

Freezing & Storage

You may freeze shaped hara bhara kababs for later use. Place on a parchment lined sheet in a single layer and let freeze for 4-6 hours. Then add to a ziplock and store up to a month.

Store fried kababs refrigerated for 3-4 days. Make sure to store them covered to prevent them from drying.

Avoid storing un-fried kababs in the fridge beyond 1 day. I noticed that they start getting wet because of salt.