An Amazing Recipe — The Galouti Kebabs
The delicacy that was invented for a toothless king!
Lucknow, a city in Northern India, is famous for its architecture, culture, Nawabi Tahjeeb, and cuisines especially non-vegetarian. Lucknow is the birthplace of several delicacies like Lucknowi Biryani, Moti Pulao, Patil Kebab, Tunday Kebab, Galouti Kebab, etc.
Nawab Asaf Ud Daula(1748–1797) contributed significantly to the culinary culture of Lucknow. He was a kind, generous, and sensitive ruler who helped his people during a famine by constructing the Bada Imamabara, providing food for work. During this period, the royal chefs concocted the famous Lucknow Biryani.
Kebabs
The Kebabs have a 1200 years old history in India. The Afghan invaders brought it to the Indian kitchens long before Mughals ventured in. Previously, Kebabs were prepared on open char-grilled ovens which were hard and chewy. But later on, the Mughal chefs changed it into a soft and succulent delicacy, with the aroma of spices and dry fruits. Even today, the kebabs in middle-eastern countries like Turkey and Iran differ from those available in north India in this aspect.
The Nawab Asaf Ud Daula was so much fond of kebabs that he ordered his cooks to prepare a new variant of Kebabs, every day. The cooks also used new ways to prepare Kebab by adding new ingredients for flavor and aroma like sandalwood, rosebuds, rose, red ginseng, and pather kai phool (flowers of stones) to give an innovative taste to please the Nawab. It is said that there were Kebabs made with more than 150 spices.
Birth of Galouti Kebabs
Galouti means ‘soft’, which melts in the mouth and gives the full aroma and taste of Kebab. There are legends that even as the Nawab lost his teeth with old age, his fondness for the kebabs was increasing. At this stage, Galouti Kebab was invented for the toothless Nawab, which required no chewing but had the same rich flavor and taste of the Kebabs. It was first prepared by Haji Mohmmad Fakre-Alam with lamb instead of beef and a tenderizer was added along with more than 150 exotic spices to give flavor.
Recipe of Galouti Kebab by Niru Gupta
Ingredients:
- Minced meat: ½ kg
Grind Together
- Chopped raw papaya: 75–100 gm
- Salt: according to taste
- Ginger: 1 teaspoon chopped
- Garlic: 1 teaspoon
- Cloves: 8
- Seeds of 2 black cardamom
- Poppy seeds (roasted and finely ground): 2 teaspoon
- Peppercorn: 4
- Cinnamon: ½ inch
- Desiccated coconut-lightly roasted: 2 teaspoon
- Mace blades: 2
- Green cardamoms: 5
- Chili powder: 1 tablespoon
- Nutmeg (grated): ¼ teaspoon
For the kebabs
- 1 cup sliced onions fried brown and crisp in ½ cup ghee
- Coriander leaves: ¼ cup (finely chopped)
- Green chilies (finely chopped): 1 teaspoon
- Roasted gram flour: 3 teaspoon
- Egg: 1
- Ghee to pan fry the kebabs
Preparation
- Marinate the minced meat in the ground ingredients for 4–5 hrs
- Mix together the coriander leaves, green chilies, gram flour, and egg
- Add to the meat and mix it well and do kneading like dough
- Shape mixture into round patties and refrigerate for ½ hour
- Heat the ghee in a heavy-based frying pan and fry the kebabs, browning first from one side and then the other, over medium heat
- Arrange over a serving dish and sprinkle lemon juice
- Serve with onion rings
If you are also a Kebab lover try this recipe and enjoy a royal taste from the kitchens of Lucknow. Do share your experience.
