Murgh Noorjahani Tikka

As the name suggests, this recipe is from the era of Mughals and I believe must have been a favorite of Mughal Emperor, Jahangir, made by Noorjahan Begum, thus named after her. Going through history, its amazing to read of how different ingredients were introduced at different times. Like spices or khada Masala, like cinnamon, bay leaves or cardamoms and cloves were never a part of the Indian cuisine and were brought in by the Mughals when they migrated to India. I believe there has been no other clan unlike the Mughals who not only brought in so much with them but also adapted the cultures of India and settled with the people and built families.

Where the spices were brought in by the Mughals, India already had food enhancing flavors like Turmeric, red chilies, coriander etc. Mixed together, the food that came out was super amazing like this kebab or a lot Biryanis that I share on this website.

The super amazing cuisines that we taste at so many restaurants today have been fusion dishes of the old era which apparently weren’t recorded under the term “fusion”. The acceptance of a culture, embracing the traditions, values and flavors and giving the best of what we have does not only result in super new flavors but also becomes a part of our cuisines for the coming generations . For me reading history about a dish is as fascinating as trying to cook a dish.

Chicken Irani Tikka

Persian cuisine has been around for many years. The kebabs from the middle east have been very popular and the mix of spices and the flavors of them being cooked with veggies gives them a different kick, which makes them differ from regular kebabs. The fact that they use spices not usually use in Indian cuisine. The taste is distinct and very scrumptious.

Chicken Golmaal

I came up with this recipe on a Friday night, returning after my son’s soccer match, with 2 tired and hungry boys. Looking at the thawed chicken on my chicken island reminded me how I assumed that I would be home by 6 PM and will have enough time to cook the chicken and I spent the time leisurely enjoying the evening traffic on NJ turnpike.

Anyways, I had to make something out of this chicken, something yummy and before my boys were done with their shower. This is when this super quick chicken was invented. The name comes after all the masalas and spices used.

Chicken Frontier

Chicken Frontier is a simple kebab made with spices and Ginger garlic paste. I believe the recipe is originated somewhere from Punjab. During the time of wars, when supplies would be limited is probably when this recipe came into existence. With time, improvements were made and the recipe I share is my improvised version of this lip smacking delicious kebabs.

Chicken Banjara Tikka

It’s just impossible to be Kebab fans and not try different recipes of kebab. It’s sad when I see people liking different kebabs at restaurants, but not being able to make the difference out in flavors. Flavor have so much to say, every spice blends in uniquely with another spice creating delicious stories. Every place has their own f

These kebabs have a very nutty flavor with low to moderate spice level. They are great as side dishes or for a coffee/tea party.  This dish is very different from the regular kebabs. The marination is very earthy, fresh and the taste of each spice can be distinguished.

I believe some of the best, healthiest and quick kebab or tikka recipes come from the Nomads and I have a valid reason for it. Nomads were travelers, never settled at one place for long. So, basically they always had fresh food, since they didn’t have ways to store their meat and they must be grinding their spices right before it needs to be used. A fact that most of run away from these days is that frozen food tastes as good as fresh, which isn’t true at all. But, what breaks my heart even more is when I see people knowing something deep down but still not agreeing to it.
You could be in the best shape of your life, but your internal organs might be reacting to all the junk you feed it, the preservatives, the chemicals are taking toll and ruining your internal mechanism and the only way for you to set it right is by eating good and clean food.

Well, now the story…So, generally when I try a dish for the first time, its always an experiment and since I hate wasting food, I make sure the quantity is little. I made these kebabs and my little one was barely 4 years old. But, unlike most 4 year old, he had very strong taste buds and was very vocal about his food choices. So, Banjara tikka was served and he loved them, but since I had not made much, they finished faster than I could blink. My little one started throwing a tantrum for more and started crying when told that we didn’t have any more. That’s when I realized that I had some left over kebabs from previous day, which looked similar in color. I put them on the skewer the same way and got them to the dining table. He stopped crying, picked up the skewer, smiled but didn’t look too sure, so, he smelt it, Yes! you read it right, he smelt it and put it back saying,”its not the same kebab” and started crying again. We couldn’t stop laughing and I promised him to make the same kebabs for dinner the next day, which I did.

This dish is simple, it contains peanuts so you will have check for a substitute if you are allergic to nuts.