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Lucknow kababs gourmets' delight
by Kamna Mathur
Lucknow:
The well-known kababs of Lucknow have been a gourmet's
delight. It was one of the favourite dishes relished
by the Nawabs (or, the most influential people of
princely families) before Indian independence from
the British rule. Though most of the Nawab families
vanished into oblivion after independence, their favourite
dish-Kebab-earned a special place in common man's
heart. The culinary tastes that these royal personages
nurtured and patronised have come to stay for all
times to come. Usually, Kebab refers to a variety
of grilled/broiled meat dishes in Middle Eastern cuisine
but originally meant fried meat, not grilled meat.
Some of the popular Kebab varieties include Biryani
Kebab, Chapli Kabab, Kabab Halabi, Kabab Torsh (grilled
beef marinated in a mixture of pomegranate juice,
crushed walnuts, parsley, crushed garlic, and olive
oil). Kofte Kebab, Samak Kebab, Seekh kabab,Senjeh
Kebab, Shami kebab, Tandoori Kebab, and Seena Kabab
are a few other popular varieties. The meat delicacies,
which were cooked in the Nawabi kitchens by ace cooks
of yore, are among the most fancied dishes and snacks.
But it is the Nawabs of Lucknow, who are credited
for having ushered the 'Kebabi culture'.
This
exclusive Kebab identifies Lucknow, which is a Mughlai
delicacy. The minced meat is spiced to the desired
taste, rolled like sausages and cooked with skewers
on wood-burning grills of Afghan origin and Persian
domed ovens of cast iron, over a hot flame. Indeed,
the grilled Kebabs happen to be Lucknow's forte. Today,
Lucknow takes pride in its over a thousand kebab outlets
that cater about 1,000 kilograms of minced meat every
day for the people living in this city of Nawabs.
"Around 40-50 types of Kebabs are prepared in Lucknow
according to their authentic traditional taste. In
this city, the combo of Kebabs and Paratha (fried
bread) is very popular. There are over a thousand
big and small Kebab shops in the city. They use a
huge amount of minced meat to prepare kebabs here,"
said Shameel Shamsi, Naushijaan Kebabi. "Tundey kebab",
is the most famous kebab outlet in Lucknow, so named
since it was a strong point of a one-armed chef named
Hazi Murad Ali, 110 years ago when 12 kebabs per plate
used to cost one paisa. Today, one can get around
50 relishing varieties of Kebabs as Kakori Kebabs,
Galawat ke Kebabs, Shami Kebabs, Boti Kebabs, Patili-ke-Kebabs,
Ghutwa Kebabs and Seekh Kebabs etc ranging between
rupees five to Rs. 200 per plate. "The cuisines of
Hyderabad and Lucknow have long been famous for their
tastes. Nawabs were fond of good tastes. When they
started ageing, they thought of a dish, that match
their taste but easy to chew and digest and that's
how, the cooks then came-up with "Kebabs". The spices
used in kebabs help in its digestion," said Mohammad
Usman, Tundey Kebabi.
As
for the origin of Kebabs, it is said that the Nawabs
were gourmands and they would ask their cooks to create
an ultimate dish for a fed-up palate so tender that
it needed no effort to relish. Thus, the lip smacking
Kebabs emerged as a food that can be eaten comfortably
even by the elderly or toothless. It is said the visit
to Lucknow remains incomplete till the person tastes
the favourite dish "Kebabs". "Every one has a craving
for Lucknow's Kebabs, it is really a mouth watering
dish and a speciality here, ," said Amit Dayal, a
Kebab lover. The recipe for good Kebabs lie in additives
of nearly a hundred aromatic and digestive spices
that are known to be good for health.
- February 15, 2007
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