Grill it right

Down foodpath

Even though I started making ‘phulkas’ when I was just nine years old, my serious affair with food began after marriage.

The first thing I made was ‘egg masala’. I remember, as a kid, my mother used to dish out different delicacies almost every day. That caught my attention and I was inspired to learn more about the art of cooking.

Though the only things I could make at that time were ‘phulkas’, ‘dal’, ‘parathas’ and ‘aloo ki sabji’, I always had the desire to explore different cuisines. Thanks to my husband, who is a foodie, I started my experiments. Through trial and error, I slowly started  learning the nuances.

When it comes to my preparation, non-vegetarian dishes are always there on the menu — at least for one of the meals.

I like Indian and Mughlai cuisines and specialise in making curries and snacks like cutlets and ‘kebabs’. ‘Biryani’ is also something I am really fond of. Experimenting with ‘biryani’ recipes gives me a lot of satisfaction. ‘Mango chicken biryani’, ‘Andhra’, ‘Bengali’ and ‘Awadhi’ style ‘biryanis’ are some of those that, I would say, I have mastered.   

I believe that I have inherited my culinary traits from my parents and grandparents. Both my maternal and paternal side of the family has some amazing cooks and I feel blessed.

I am also a photographer and a food stylist. Earlier, I used to take pictures of food on my phone for my blog. It was my husband who encouraged me to use a DSLR and I started clicking away for my blog ‘cubesnjuliennes’.

Coming back to cooking, today I share the recipe of ‘Afghani Tangdi Kabab’, which is a Mughlai dish and is a favourite of my daughter.

I remember when my daughter was two and had this for the first time, she  exclaimed, ‘Mama best chicken’.

Afghani Tangdi Kabab

Ingredients
n Chicken legs (whole), 4  numbers
n Golden fried onions, 1/3 cup, crushed finely
n Hung curd,  ½ cup
n Cream, ¼ cup
n Cashew nut paste, 3 tbsp
n Egg yolk, 1
n Black pepper powder,
1 tsp
n Garlic paste, 1 tbsp
n Ginger paste, 1 tbsp
n Green chilli, ½ tsp, minced
n Lemon juice, 1 tbsp
n Garam masala powder,
1 tsp
n Kasuri methi, ¾ tsp, slightly roasted and finely crushed
n Salt to taste
n Oil, ¼ cup
n Ghee, 1 tsp
n Butter for basting
n A piece of charcoal
for grill.

Method

To begin with, clean the chicken well and make slits on it. Add all the ingredients in a bowl (except chicken, charcoal and ghee).  Mix them well.

Now, add chicken legs in the marinade and coat it well. Place a small piece of foil or a bowl in the centre of the marinated chicken, place the burning charcoal on it and drop a teaspoon of ghee.  Immediately, cover and keep it aside for five to seven minutes.

Take out the charcoal and allow the chicken to get marinated for two hours in the refrigerator. Grill it in a ‘tandoor’ or on a grill pan placed on a gas stove. Baste it with butter at intervals. Once done, take it off the grill pan, sprinkle some chat masala and serve hot with pilaf, ‘naan’ and some onion rings on the side.

Farrukh Aziz Ansari
(Farrukh can be reached at [e-mail])