Galauti Kabab by Aditi Matilal

Aditi speaks: Galauti Kabab is an exquisite delicacy from Awadhi cuisine specially created for the aging Nawab Wazid Ali Shah of Lucknow. Galauti or Galawati literally means ‘melt in the mouth’. This super soft mouth-watering kebab prepared from minced mutton and plenty of exotic spices reminds me of a sunny February day at Lucknow when I first experienced authentic and aromatic galauti kebab in a local but extremely renowned food joint Tunday Kababi after a tiring walk for hours at every corner of Bara Imambara. Earlier I had galauti kebab at popular Mughlai restaurants of both Kolkata and Delhi, but the taste of these kebabs at Lucknow, even at street food counters, is something special. Here goes my very own recipe of Galauti Kebab. I have used chicken instead of mutton considering my increasing cholesterol levels and restricted myself to few specific spices available during this lockdown phase at home.

An Assistant Professor of geography by profession, Aditi Matilal is an extremely passionate person who loves travelling, reading, cooking, gardening, and many more odd jobs. Being a die-hard foodie, she has always ventured into experimenting with new recipes from different cuisines and this experimental practice gives her a therapeutic break from daily monotonous schedules.

 

 

 

Ingredients:
 500grams of minced chicken (I have used boneless chicken to make a fine paste in mixer grinder)
 Dry spices: Cardamom- 4/5, cinnamon- 1 stick, mace powder- 1/4th teaspoon, nutmeg powder-1/4th teaspoon, cloves- 3 or 4 , dry red chilli- 4/5, cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon, coriander seeds- 1 teaspoon, black pepper granules- 8/9.
 Ginger- garlic paste
 Green chilli paste
 Besan/ Bengal gram powder
 One egg
 Kewra water
 Rose water
 2 big onions finely chopped and fried till light golden brown

Method:
 Make a fine paste of chicken in mixer grinder
 Add salt according to taste and lemon juice
 Dry roast all spices, grind to a fine powder and mix with chicken paste
 Add ginger garlic and green chilli paste to the chicken
 Add besan (around 2 tablespoons, lesser is better for a soft texture)
 Add one beaten egg
 Add the fried onions
 Finally add kewra and rose water and one heaped tablespoon of ghee.
 Now mix everything well and keep aside for 2 hours
 Prepare small tikia shaped kababs by taking oil in palm
 Fry in a flat tawa with vegetable oil or ghee (I used both) on both sides for 5 mins each
 Serve hot with paratha and green chutney.