An Adab To The King Of All Kebabs

Lucknows own specialities should properly be described as Avadhi food, though it gets confused too often with Mughlai cuisine. Avadhi cuisine has that delicate touch reminiscent of the Nawabs of yesteryear. And more than the taste, its the adab (manners) with which the food is served that sets Lucknow cuisine apart.

Two of my favourite kebabs are from Lucknow, and they have the technique of galawati in common. Thats where the meat is not pre-cooked before making the kebabs, but tenderised with the use of papaya pulp and whole garam masalas.

Any gastronomic adventure in Lucknow has to start with Chowk, the heart of Lucknow. The king of kebabs, Tunda, resides here in whats less than a hole in the wall. In the days of the Nawabs, this little cubby-hole was occupied by an old man with a broken hand who would sit in front of a charcoal oven with a huge Paraat (a vessel used for making dough). He used the crippled hand to throw little balls of minced meat on the paraat, to sizzle and crisp and be done in less than a minute. They would fill the street with aromatic smoke while his sidekick made parathas on an upside down karahi.

 

These would be served to the waiting hordes of people with just a simple chutney. Time stands still in this street and the same magic is recreated every evening by the descendants of Tunda. And on every visit to Lucknow, one of my first evening rituals must involve Tundey ke kebab, parathey.

Made from beef, the meat is tenderised using raw papaya and marinated in an ages-old combination of spices. It becomes so tender that it redefines the phrase melt in the mouth. Thats why it requires minimal cooking. The kebabs are hot and I always carry my own chopped onions to go with them. Even when onions are not at Rs 24 a kilo, Tunda does not serve these as accompaniments in order to keep costs down. In 1988, the kebabs were priced at Rs 5 a plate. Ten years down the line, inflation seems to have given this street of Chowk a go-by.

Is good to get here before 11 pm. Parking space at Chowk is usually at a premium its better to park at a distance and take a rickshaw or walk down.

If Tunda is the king of kebabs, the queen of kebabs has to be the kakori. Unlike Tundas creation, this is a seekh kebab made with the same galawat technique. Watch out for more on the kakori in subsequent articles.

The best sundowner with the kebabs is thandaii, which is available in different versions in a lot of shops around Chowk. Youre offered a choice of bhang or bhang-free versions. And the piece de resistance is a Chowk dessert called namash. More than the taste, its the art of making namash which is intriguing. Huge vats of milk are boiled and only the froth is skimmed off in layers that are mixed with gulab jal, kewra, sugar et al. This concoction is then left to stand under the light of the moon and is best savoured in the early hours of the morning.

In a city as renowned for its hospitability as Lucknow, you need to explore the secrets of the chowk with like-minded souls. I found mine in the shape of Gopendra Singh, the scion of the erstwhile Tilloi estate, and his wife Geetanjali two of the nicest people you could hope to meet in Lucknow. After all, the fun of savouring lifes good things, such as Tundey kebabs, is the presence of good companions. It adds a certain something to the appetite.

Sameer Kochhar

(The author is a closet gourmand who also runs Skoch, a management consultancy)