Recipe: How to make melt in your mouth Galouti kebabs
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Recipe: How to make melt in your mouth Galouti kebabs

Dec 31, 2023

Lucknow, a city in northern India, was known during the Mughal empire for its splendor in textiles, music, architecture and food. At the time, Lucknow was ruled by a series of Nawabs, princes of sorts, who led lives of luxury.

Asaf-ud-Daula, a noteworthy Nawab during the late 1700s, had an obsession with royal edifices and rich cuisine. A team of cooks was commanded to create daily changing aromatic stews, breads and, particularly, kebabs for him. These are the decades when Persian and Indian cooks came together to create Mughlai cuisine, still beloved in India. Legend has it that due to his overindulgences, Asaf-ud-Daula lost almost all his teeth and the ability to chew food while in his 40s. Yet his love for kebabs did not wane. Anxious to please their leader, the cooks, using papaya to tenderize the meat, concocted a kebab so soft that it required no chewing and would literally melt in his mouth. The Galouti — it means "melt in your mouth" — kebab was born and has remained a popular kebab in India ever since.

Anita Jaisinghani is the chef-owner of Pondicheri restaurant in Houston. Her website is india1948.com . Her new cookbook, "Masala" (Ten Speed Press), is out now. Email: [email protected]

Galouti kebabs

1 pound ground lamb or other meat of your choice1 cup peeled and grated green papaya1 cup minced onion3 tablespoons Greek yogurt1 tablespoon red chile powder1 teaspoon ground cardamom1 teaspoon ground mace1 teaspoon black pepper1 cup cilantro, finely chopped2 tablespoons unpeeled minced ginger2 teaspoons sea salt

½ onion, thinly slicedJuice of 1 lemonPinch salt and red chile powder

12 tablespoons pomegranate seeds for garnishFew fresh sprigs of mint½ cup plain yogurt

Instructions: In a medium-size bowl, using your fingers, combine the lamb, papaya, onion, yogurt, chile, cardamom, mace, black pepper, cilantro, ginger and salt thoroughly until the seasonings are completely incorporated into the meat. Refrigerate for a few minutes up to a couple of hours for the flavors to meld. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. On a baking pan lined with parchment paper, form little kebabs (patties), flatten and lay them on the paper about ½-inch apart. At this point, the tray can be refrigerated for a day or two. Place the baking pan in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the kebabs appear cooked all the way, clear juices flow around them and they are slightly golden brown on top. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside for a few minutes. In the meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the sliced onion with lemon, salt and red chile powder. The onions will soften up in a few minutes. Sprinkle the kebabs with pomegranate seeds, springs of mint and serve with yogurt and marinated onions on the side.

Notes & variations• Try to use meat that has 80-85 percent fat; if the meat is too lean, the kebabs may turn out dry. • Papaya is a wonderful meat tenderizer, therefore, these kebabs are super tender and soft — for firmer kebabs, or to use them as sliders or hamburgers, cut the papaya quantity in half. • If you do not have cardamom, replace with cinnamon and substitute ½ teaspoon nutmeg for the mace.

Makes 18 to 20 kebabs

From Anita Jaisinghani

Galouti kebabs