FISH GALOUTI KABAB

Spring has grandeur, winter energising and depressing, summer boring without sea side, monsoon to me is always classical and traditional. Monsoon stays with us for over two months, so we enjoy innumerable type of snacks trough out this season. But while writing about monsoon snacks I cannot stop myself from choosing something traditional and classical. So, today I will focus on the culture of our country. From childhood we write essays on ‘India is unity in diversity’. Since I did not have much knowledge about food then, I could not write about intricacies of Indian snacks menu card, given a chance now, I would definitely write two paragraphs on how diverse the snacks of India is. Food in India is so diverse that a common Indian cooking recipe in one area may be completely alien to the people living from another region.

There are two things that make Indian cuisine so rich and so diverse. One is India's history. Over the years, many foreign invaders have crossed and stayed in India and in the process have left behind a mark on Indian cooking. To name a few, Portuguese, British, Aryan, Persian and Arab who have influenced country's history and cuisine. Second is how India values cooking. Here, Indian food is serious business. Cooking is not just an activity we do in the kitchen. Indian cuisine is special because cooking is considered as an art in India. Indian cooking recipes serves as heritage - something of value that can be passed on from generations to generations.

The Indian snacks are usually delicious and mouth watering preparations. Savouries like "Samosa", "Aloo Tikki" and "Vada Pav" are easily prepared and are commonly served Indian snacks. The popularity of Indian snacks grew because of its easy process of preparation and that they can be prepared at any time. The crispness and tempting tastes of Indian snacks is liked by young and old alike. Snacks vary from region to region in India. Some of the popular Indian snacks are "Achappam", different types of "Papad", "Murukku", "Banana Chips", "Bhelpuri", "Bhujia", "Bonda", "Bread Pakora", "Dahi Vada", "Dadpe Pohe", "Fafda", "Ghewar", "Gathiya", different types of "Halwa", "Jalebi", "Kachori", "Kuzhalappam", different types of "Vada", "Mysore Pak", "Namkeen", "Pakkavad", "Panipuri", "Pav Bhaji", "Potato Chips" and many more to be mentioned.

Today my mood goes with ‘Lakhnow-gharana’ Galauti Kabab.Galauti Kabab is a ‘meat ‘preparation, but I sometimes mix fish with minced meat .So, I have given the name Fish Galauti Kabab. I made it quite a number of times, but when decided to write on it, I started some reading on Kabab. Interestingly came across a Travellers diary which goes like this :
'Sometimes, one does not know when one is about to embark on a long journey to unknown lands in search of hidden secrets and treasures. This happened with me a few years ago. It was in 2010 and I was teaching at the Le Cordon Bleu in Paris when a Bosnian student mentioned the Bosnian kebab called Cevapi in class.A kebab made with three meats (pork, beef and lamb) with subtle spices and grilled to perfection. This prompted me to think about the different types of kebabs in the world we were oblivious to. Hence, started my long kebab trail. In my travels, I have hunted for the most unusual recipes and their histories and traditions to find the hidden treasures of kebabs.

The origin of Kebab may lie in the short supply of cooking fuel in the Near East, which made the cooking of large foods difficult while urban economies made it easy to obtain small cuts of meat at a butcher's shop. According to Ibn Battuta, a Moroccan traveler, in India, Kebab was served in the royal houses during the Delhi Sultanate period(1206-1526 AD), and even commoners would enjoy it for breakfast with naan. The dish has been native to the Near East and ancient Greece since antiquity. Even it is heard that when Alexander met King Porus, he offered him some Indian delicacies similar to Kebab. But officially Kebabs came to India in Mughal era and then slowly the same was Indianized.Kebabs are said to have originated and been popularised in Turkey. Soldiers grilled or smoked chunks of freshly hunted animals skewed on swords on open field fires. So, my trail began from Turkey leading me to many countries in Central Asia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and even Germany, Russia and Hawaii.

The Turkish trail led me to Istanbul'. And she travelled all around the world in search of the source of Kabab and to taste them first hand.Some opines Kabab is originally a variety of Irani meat.As time passed Kebab got a dignified space in the cuisines of Middle East, Turkey, South Asia and presently Worldwide. In English Kebab generally refers to the “Shish Kebab” served on the skewer. In the Middle East, however, Kebab refers to meat that is cooked over or next to flames; large or small cuts of meat, or even ground meat; it may be served on plates, in sandwiches, or in bowls. The traditional meat for Kebab is lamb, but depending on local tastes and taboos, it may now be beef, goat, chicken, pork; fish and seafood; or even vegetarian foods like falafel or tofu. Like other ethnic foods brought by travelers, the Kebab has become part of everyday cuisine in many countries around the globe.

The phrase “Kebab” is Persian in origin and Arabic tradition has it that the dish was invented by medieval Persian soldiers who used their swords to grill meat over open field fires. Later on Swords were replaced by skewers.

Chelow Kabab,Kakkori Kabab,Tunde ki Kabab,Sish Kabab,Boti Kabab,Fish Tikka Kabab,Shammi Kabab,Hara Bhara Kabab,Galauti Kabab are some of the popular Kababs to name.
Galouti Kabab                                                                                         

Galouti Kebab was created for an aging Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Lucknow who lost his teeth, but not his passion for meat dishes. ‘Galouti’ or ‘Galawati’ means “melt in your mouth”. Traditionally, green papaya is used to make it tender. After being mixed with a few select herbs and spices the very finely ground meat is shaped into patties and fried in pure ghee until they are browned. The original recipe is supposed to have more than 100 aromatic spices.

Now my way of Fish Galouti Kabab

To Prepare Ingredients :
Fish - 1 cup boiled or fried ( deboned and shredded)
Minced meat – 1 cup boiled Chana Dal - 2 medium size spoon full paste Onion - 1 small finely chopped
Green Chilli - 1 finely chopped
Green Papya 2 table spoon full paste Oil - 1 tsp + for frying Coriander leaves / Cilantro - 1/2 cup chopped finely Chilli powder - 1 tsp Shahi Garam Masala powder - 1 tsp Salt to taste

Method :Method is very simple.Mix everything together. Give round shape. In a tawa fry on low flame for around eight minutes.Give it a standing time.

Serve with green salad.It goes well with paratha,roti and rice.

ref:
http://www.waaahkebabs.com/
http://food.ndtv.com/
http://www.indianetzone.com/food/
http://www.foodeditorial.co/