Kebab: the main types and how they differ

A kebab is a dish of seasoned meat, usually grilled, roasted or fried, and served on a skewer, as a flat patty or sliced from a spit. The word is used from Turkey to Bangladesh, but a kebab in a South Asian restaurant is not the same thing as a kebab in a Turkish one. This guide sorts the main types, shows how they differ and notes which kebabs the recorded Deccan Grill menu and official website mention.

What is a kebab?

A kebab is meat that has been seasoned, shaped or cut, and cooked directly over or beside heat. It can be minced or in chunks, on a skewer or off one, and the word covers a wide family of dishes rather than one recipe.

The word itself is traced to Arabic, Persian and Turkic roots, and sources do not agree on a single path. What is clear is that grilling seasoned meat on skewers is old and widespread, and that each region developed its own seasonings and shapes. South Asian kebabs tend to be spiced, marinated in yogurt and cooked in a tandoor or on a grill. Turkish kebabs often rely on salt, fat and charcoal with fewer spices.

Two questions sort most kebabs. Is the meat minced or in pieces? Is it cooked on a skewer, on a flat pan or on a spit?

What are the main types of South Asian kebab?

The main South Asian kebabs are seekh, shami, boti, tikka, reshmi and chapli. They differ in whether the meat is minced or in chunks, how it is bound, and whether it is grilled or pan-fried.

Names overlap. Some restaurants call chicken tikka boti, and the exact spice mixes vary widely. The table describes the general pattern, not a strict rule.

What is seekh kebab?

Seekh kebab is spiced minced meat pressed onto a skewer in a long cylinder and cooked over fire or in a tandoor. The word seekh means skewer, and the mince is usually mixed with onion, ginger, garlic, green chili, fresh herbs and ground spices.

The mix needs some fat and a binder so it stays on the skewer. Cooks often add a little ground chickpea flour, egg or fried onion paste, though recipes differ. It is cooked until browned and just cooked through, then served with sliced onion, lemon and chutney.

Seekh is the kebab people most often mean when they order a kebab starter in a South Asian restaurant. A separate guide on this site covers the dish in more detail.

What is the difference between shami, chapli and seekh?

All three are minced-meat kebabs, but seekh is skewered, shami is a soft pan-fried patty with lentils, and chapli is a flat, coarse patty with coriander seed and tomato. The binder and the shape are the main differences.

Chapli kebab is associated with Peshawar and the Pashtun region, and shami is associated with the Mughal cooking of northern India and Pakistan. Both associations are widely repeated, but origin claims for kebabs are rarely settled by sources.

What is the difference between a kebab and tikka?

A tikka is a piece of marinated, grilled meat, while kebab is the wider word for the whole family of dishes. Chicken tikka is therefore a type of kebab, usually boneless chunks marinated in yogurt and spices and grilled on skewers.

On many restaurant menus the words are used loosely. A tikka is almost always in pieces. A seekh or shami kebab is almost always minced. If a menu says only kebab, the description or the server will say which kind it is.

Tikka masala is a separate thing. It is tikka pieces served in a spiced tomato and cream gravy, and it is a curry, not a grilled kebab. The recorded Deccan Grill catering menu lists Chicken Tikka Masala among its chicken dishes, which is the curry form.

How do South Asian kebabs compare with Middle Eastern kebabs?

South Asian kebabs are usually more heavily spiced and yogurt-marinated, while Turkish and Levantine kebabs rely more on meat, fat, salt and charcoal, often with fewer spices. Many Middle Eastern kebabs are also served in flatbread with salad.

Doner and shawarma are cooked on a vertical spit and sliced, which sets them apart from skewered or patty kebabs. They share the word and the idea of seasoned meat cooked near flame, but they are usually separate in a restaurant’s menu.

What kebabs does Deccan Grill list?

The official Deccan Grill website highlights grills such as seekh kabab, lamb chops, chicken tikka and tandoori, according to its home page as read in November 2026. The recorded catering menu does not use every one of those names, so the two sources should be read separately.

On the official catering menu as recorded in November 2026, the grill and kebab style items include:

• Lamb Chops, sold per piece at $5 a piece, listed in both the starters and the mutton sections.
• Chicken Barra and Frontier Chicken, in the chicken section, where the catering page gives no descriptions, so this guide cannot say how they are cooked.
• Tandoori Shrimp, in the starters and seafood sections.
• Mutton Lukmi and Beef Lukmi, fried pastries sold per piece, which are not kebabs but are often ordered with them.

No item named seekh kebab or chicken tikka appears in the recorded catering menu, so this guide does not claim they are listed there. They may be on the restaurant’s dine-in menu, which could not be read. The catering menu prices are tray prices, not plate prices. Check the menu page for how to read them and ask the restaurant what it is grilling on a given day.

Which cuts of meat suit kebabs?

Tender, fairly fatty cuts suit kebabs best, because they stay juicy over high heat. For chunk kebabs, boneless chicken thigh, lamb leg and boneless goat are common choices, and breast works if the marinade is good and the cooking is short.

For minced kebabs, the fat content matters more than the cut. Very lean mince gives dry seekh, while mince with some fat holds together and tastes richer. Beef, lamb, goat and chicken mince are all used, and the choice changes the flavor as much as the spices do.

What mistakes spoil a kebab?

The most common mistakes are cooking it too long, using too wet a mixture and skipping the rest time for the marinade. Each one has a simple fix.

• Overcooking. Kebabs dry out quickly. Take them off as soon as the meat is just cooked through.
• A wet mince mixture. Water from onion makes seekh slide off the skewer. Squeeze grated onion dry or fry it first.
• A short marinade. Yogurt and spice need time to work. Several hours or overnight in the fridge is typical for chunks.
• A crowded grill. Meat steams instead of browning when pieces touch. Leave gaps.
• Cold skewers of mince. Chill shaped mince briefly so it holds its shape on the heat.

How should you order and eat kebabs?

Order kebabs as a starter for the table, with bread, onion, lemon and chutney, and a yogurt side if the meal is spicy. Eat them hot, because the outside dries and the inside tightens as they cool.

A few practical points help:

• Ask whether the kebab is minced or in pieces, because the word alone does not tell you.
• Ask about heat. Marinades range from mild to very hot, and the recorded menu does not mark spice levels.
• Ask what the kebab is made from. Chicken, lamb, mutton, goat and beef all appear in different restaurants, and the recorded Deccan Grill catering menu uses chicken, mutton, lamb, beef and seafood labels.
• For large groups, check how the kebabs are sold. Some items are sold by the piece and others by the tray.

For orders, use the restaurant’s official website, deccan-grill.com, or call (972) 594-1999. This guide does not take orders.

How are kebabs cooked at home?

At home, kebabs are cooked on a grill, under a broiler or in a hot pan. The marinade or mince mixture matters more than the equipment. Marinate chunks for several hours in yogurt, ginger, garlic and spices, then cook at high heat so the outside browns before the inside dries.

For minced kebabs, keep the mixture cold and well mixed, wet your hands to shape it and avoid overcooking. A little fat in the mince keeps seekh juicy. Clay tandoors reach higher heat than a home oven, so the char will differ, and that is normal.

Common questions

This article is general information from an independent guide, not from Deccan Grill itself. For the store’s current details see hours and location.