As a kid, Delhi was like second home to me. I hail from Rajasthan and having my maternal family from U.K., we always were either travelling or having family over and Delhi had the closest international airport. Even besides that, there were numerous reasons for visiting Delhi.
Now, if you have ever been to Delhi, you know its a food heaven and if you want to taste delicious non vegetarian food, Jama Masjid is the place. Wonderful restaurants with hot steaming food, kebabs, curries and Biryanis served with pillow soft naans.
The funny part is that many of those restaurants have opened their chains in New Delhi or other areas but the food tastes best when you visit Jama Masjid. I think its my love for the crowd and those hustling markets and the sound of Rickshaw driver yelling that connects to my childhood and memories of going to Jama Masjid with my father and enjoying the food at those restaurants, makes me relive those days and therefore, I still prefer going to puraani Dilli or Old Delhi.
This recipe is one of my favorite kebabs from Jama Masjid. I could never get the recipe of the original kebabs but through experimenting with flavors, I cracked the recipe and remembered my childhood flavor. A recipe worth trying.
Peshawar is an ancient city in Pakistan. Over the centuries, Peshawar was ruled by Mughals and then by British giving it the unique historical traditions and culture.
Peshawar is an old walled city and has rich culinary tradition. It has a famous place called “Namak Mandi” which has nothing to do with selling salt but serves variety of delectable foods. Known for using minimum spices and sometimes just salt, Namak Mandi dishes are char grilled or made in Kadhai. Not just that, the dishes are also popular for retaining the original flavors of the main ingredient. So, the first rule to make any Peshawari dish is to make sure that the main ingredient does not lose its taste and the spices added only work towards enhancing its flavor.
All along Peshawari kebabs are lip smacking delicious, easy to make and for some reason remind you of those awesome street foods in metro cities of India.
This recipe of chutney is something you might never find in a restaurant. Its my family recipe, that I grew on.
Chutney is usually taken as a very ordinary dish and we never realize that a good or bad chutney can make our food taste better or spoil the flavor. Chutneys in Indian household is taken casually and its funny but we never realize what an amazing variety of chutneys are served on our tables. I believe even our moms never realized how many they make and serve.
Nevertheless, this recipe comes from my mother. She doesn’t even remember what inspired her to make it but whatever it was, this chutney is one of the best ones and goes really well with Kebabs.
This recipe of chicken kebabs comes from the era of Mughals. I know, most all kebabs do. Kebabs are a gift to the food world by the Middle East. The variety, the flavors and the fact that they are grilled in different ways can leave your taste buds joyful and crave for more.
I believe for a fact that when the Mongolians and the Persians rulers came to India, it wasn’t an invasion. I know during that era it does look like an invasion because all the wars were for power and land and the greed to appear mightier and stronger than other rulers always seemed to drive warriors crazy where they seemed to be baffled by the prosperity of the neighboring kingdoms and invasion seemed to be the only way to satisfy your hunger for more. But, leaving all that aside, the Mughals brought in a lot of architectural science, spices and methods of cooking. They came to settle and make India more diverse and that’s what I fail to see in Indian news today.
I am proud to be an Indian, a country where friendship and mutual respect comes much before religion. Where Eid is celebrated with as much love as Diwali. Where Hindus are always at your house on Eid to taste awesome Biryani and your mom makes sure she cooks vegetarian food separately for your 2 vegetarian friends. Where stories of Jodha Akbar is less of Akbar, the Emperor who invaded India and more of the love between a Mughal Emperor and a Rajput Queen. India a country, that proves its a place accepting all religions and stands tall with its cultural heritage.
With all that, food plays a very important role. The spices like cinnamom, cloves, cardamom and saffron changed the complete look of flavors and when mixed with Indian chilies, the result was food from Paradise.
This recipe goes back to the era of Jahangir / Saleem and the story that I read said that he had a great knowledge of spices and had the chefs prepare dishes according to his taste. This recipe comes in as one of his favorites.
Now, with the history books I read, I do get an idea of the ingredients but they aren’t a 100% of what were used in the original recipe. Therefore, these recipes are mine but they should be close to what the original food must have tasted. Each recipe that I share can have common ingredients, but they are completely different for each other. The only way you can find out is by trying.
I first tried something like this in 2009 when we took a trip to Agra. The Mughal Sheraton was just not a super cozy and comfortable hotel but also the chefs there served amazing delicacies and this dish was one of those that I tried.
The first look at the dish makes you feel that it must be somewhere close to Tandoori chicken but its only when you taste it, is when you realize that both dishes are not even faintly close and share no resemblance in taste. While Tandoori is all spice and cooked on grill, this dish contains corn starch and is pan or tava fried.
The funny coincidence is that 2 years after we visited Agra is when I finally got down to trying this dish and funny enough, I do not remember the original name of the dish. This is pretty close to what we have tasted but then again this is my version and recipe. My friends and family always loved it and so I am sharing what is different and a truly fantastic recipe.
I love serving dry kebabs as side dishes with our dinner and its hard to not experiment and not come up with new recipes. After all, I am mother to boys who have energy that drives me crazy and the fact that they love looking forward to new dishes on the table and not forgetting, the born carnivores, and with genes of Mughals. All these traits makes it mandatory for a mom to come up with new recipes of non vegetarian food.
Spices mixed up differently with chicken/ meat gives out super fab and completely distinct flavor. This recipe is quick, flavorful and is sure to impress those with a great taste buds.
We love Malaysian food. The taste is so close to Indian and yet has its own flavors. I have tried making different cuisines and so far, after Indian and Mughlai, Malaysian is my all time favorite.
Chicken satay is a great kebab recipe, specially with kids. The marination is simple and does not have to be kept for long either. The kebabs come out spicy so, if you like them to be mild, you could either use less of the spice or add a little cream, roughly 1/4 cup for 1 lb of chicken. The flavor would definitely change and might not taste as authentic as the real Malaysian satay but it would still be nice and would be the closest you can get to the dish. I actually prefer adding less spice.
This is great for calorie conscious and diet needs. Its high in protein and does not require any flour coating so its quiet healthy.
This is great for tea or coffee parties, play dates, quick bite and unannounced guests. The level is great for beginners and can easily be made for those pot lucks as well.
We were in South Carolina. One of my favorite places for a vacation. Gorgeous beaches, lovely weather and awesome drives. Our vacation to South Carolina has mostly been a summer visit and since we love driving down to South Carolina, our stay is usually 8-10 days.
South Carolina being a beach front, it is rich in seafood and we love it, but staying somewhere for 10 days and not getting your meat/chicken is difficult. So, believe it or not I freeze my chicken and meat and then take them in an ice box with frozen ice bags, that ensures the chicken stays frozen till we complete our 12 hour journey.
I tried this recipe as a fluke and the result was extra ordinarily amazing. This tangdi kebab can be made with boneless chicken as well.
KFC in India introduced their masala wings and people like us became crazy as fans, swearing by those spicy wings that there would nothing else ordered or eaten as religiously as them when any KFC is passed by.
Now, living all the way in USA, we aren’t that privileged to enjoy them here, and the craving is hard to suppress, so I tried to crack the recipe for the masala and trust me, its super close or almost the same. So, if you are like us and like that spice kick on your fried chicken, this recipe is for you.
This spice can be kept in an airtight container for up to one month.
We live in New Jersey and its a land of snow storms and regular snows that go up to 5-6 inches, and we get stuck at home. To most people, snow days are boring but, for us its a fun day at home. My boys love demanding for warm soups and breads and sometimes they even join their mom in the kitchen and we cook together.
So one such day, we were surprised by day off at school due to snow. I believe it was the prayer before bed that my boys made…LOLzzz. Its funny how much they love school but more than that they love the surprise holidays due to snow. Anyways, so my boys wanted some wanted some nice kebabs and then they came up with how much they miss eating KFC in India and the spicy chicken wings in India are their absolute favorite comfort food.
So, we got down to making everyone happy. Its a snow day and you are stuck, you cant step out and we all need something to warm up our heart and soul 😉 . So while, boys go out to play in the snow, I started marinating the chicken and preparing the powder to the best of my ability to make it taste close to KFC if not better.
See, KFC in India serves halal food. I do not know about other places but the one in Bangalore definitely does. They have improvised the recipe by adding spice to the chicken and the flavors are fabulous. So when you have boys who are blessed with awesome taste buds, it gets pretty competitive for a mom, trust me and the fact that Indian moms are always trying to prove to be super cooks to their children and I am no different.
After playing in the snow for a couple hours when my tired and hungry boys came in to grab a bite, they were not just surprised but also very satisfied and loved this dish. Its a must share for all those of you like me who are far from home and need the kick in your regular fried chicken.
