Knockout kebabs

Call it kabab, kebap, kabob, koobideh, or simply kebab... its meteoric rise in popularity as the pinnacle of flavour and creativity, especially in the Indian context, can’t be contested, writes Madhulika Dash

Chicken kebabs

Grilled paneer tikka cheese kebab

Kebab is undoubtedly a dish that today speaks the universal language of deliciousness. It is also one of the rare dishes that has successfully traversed every trading route throughout history, including India and has by far the most vocabulary devoted in the culinary lexicon. Easily the most recognisable and important dish in any cuisine, including India, it can be adapted to fit into any food matrix or course. It can be an invincible star of a delectable meal, the chef’s special, and the ideal accompaniment to beverages, or even a quick service restaurant snack.

But what is it about kebabs that give them such an ardent fan following? According to many historical chronicles, kebabs are said to have originated in Persia and evolved in mediaeval India, the obvious response to this is the taste. Kebabs, including the holy trinity of doner, shami, and shish, have long been intended as a treat. Even the Great Genghis Khan, who is credited with popularising string kebabs, chose to flavour meat using cumin. A trend that in the coming years evolved partly in the form of need, changing palate, the discovery of new ingredients, and in other parts the culinary zeal to innovate and create. The latter, curiously, played a climacteric role in turning kebabs into a stately dish. Of course, the rise was aided by two things: first, the love for meat among different classes and the existence of peers like India’s iconic Raan, which finds its place in the Sikandar-Porus feast. Old tomes like the Ksemakutuhalam, Bheema Paka Sastra, Paka Darpana are replete with not just different styles of the way we cooked our meat but also an ode to grilled, charred meat just the way kebabs were in its earliest iteration.

While this explains how kebabs gained a place in both the royal and commoner culinary worlds, the origin and growth of the dish was an odd case of the dynastic power play, particularly during the mediaeval era when kebob became kebab. According to chroniclers like Ibn Battuta, the first kebabs to appear on the food scene were either Pashtun style, in which the meat was skewered onto a blade tied with a thread and grilled, or the Rajasthani Maas Ka Sooley — and were a staple of the warriors' and traders' diet.

However, kebabs didn’t earn their place at the diplomatic table with the Sikandari Raan and the Khad Ghargosh until the foundation of the Delhi Sultanate. At that time, chefs started adding pepper, marmalade, and citrus fruit to their Kundazizi (wild fowl) to give it a distinctive flavour — a style that Babur adopted in the 16th century when his chefs chose to combine ingredients and methods from Samarkand with those from the new country. Mewa Shahi Kebab, a favourite dish of Babur, is an intriguing illustration of this.

It is reported to have inspired the cooking of Ajmaisha Amshala (the earliest known kebab made with lamb stuffed with almond, pistachio, raisins and cream, cooked in fennel, bay leaf, cinnamon and black pepper milk) and later Wajid Ali Shah’s signature meal, Chote Tamatar ki Shammi, which included desi tomatoes packed with a paste of curd and sunflower seeds. It was also seasoned with cheese, yoghurt, and dry fruit. Khad Ka Pind serves as another illustration of how the mix and rising function. This kebab, which was constructed of a leg of lamb that had been pit-roasted and wrapped in a half-baked chapati and jute, was similar to the fabled dish that was given at Porus’ feast table and was said to have been the privilege of a wealthy gourmand even at the time, according to Chef Manjit Singh Gill.

While the Middle Eastern skills and the holy trinity of doner kebab, shammi, and shish strongly influenced kebab creation in India in the early stages, it was also the consequence of a dynasty’s desire to make its mark and frequently adhered to the ruler’s political philosophies. As a result, each Mughal era was distinguished by inventions that are thought to be the best representation of the rule.

Hence, whereas under Babar’s reign, kebabs bore a distinctive Samarkand cuisine mark, such as the Kebab-e-Ferghana, whose key ingredients were salt and red wine, the following years witnessed a combination of both traditionally made meat and innovative techniques similar to the Yakhni Kebab, a lamb dish that was pan-fried and had a subtle flavour that originated from the way the meat was cooked in yakhni before being taken apart and hand-pounded with saffron and caramelised onion to give it its distinctive flavour. Similar to Mo’alla Kebab, which featured meatballs baked between specially made biryani before being fried and served adorned with gold varq, this dish may have been inspired by Kashmiri gustaba.

Emperor Jehangir’s favourite was qalliya or braised lamb with raw mango. Not to mention Bahadur Shah Zafar’s Murg Pareeli Kebab, which was chicken pockets stuffed with dry fruits like apricot and saffron and cooked in a copper vessel. The Darayee Kebab, which used spinach and beetroot to create a wave-like appearance, is said to have originated during the reign of Nur Jahan.

Kebab making was perfected during the Mughal era, which was distinguished by the opulence of ingredients and methods that would grow grander with the Nawabs and Nizams. Not only in terms of the meat, which changed from bade ka gosht to the succulent meat of a young goat (kid) and particularly braised chicken, but also in terms of the use of healthy herbs like paan ki jhad, gulab, makhana, khus ki jhad, dhagad phool, camphor, and nausadar as well as the return of lentils and wheat to their traditional forms.

Tikka Jahangiri, which consisted of grilled lamb strips that had been marinated in yoghurt, seasoned with kachri, nausadar, and fig paste and Kebab-e-Burghul, a favourite of Aurangzeb’s that contains both lentils and broken wheat, were also popular.

The later Mughal era kebabs, along with vaids and hakims, not only raised kebabs to the position of hallmark foods but also established the standard for other cultures to build their own. The end result was that other regions added a local zing to the kebab chapter, including the Thanjavur Kebabs known as shunti.

The Nawabs and Nizams adopted the Mughal practice by coming up with inventive and imaginative versions, some of which emphasised healthfulness, such as the tunde kebab, the self-digesting galouti, and the kakori.

These kebabs were created through the fusion of Maratha and Muslim cuisine, taking the best elements from each to produce versions that were incredibly specific to their culture. So, the Sunjkat Shunti plays with warm spices, tamarind with prawns to give it its originality, whereas the Mutton shunti employs cashew, pappu, and desiccated coconut in the marinade to give their kebabs its distinct flavour. A similar thought perhaps went behind Murg Ganna Gankani Kebab, which made use of sugarcane juice to give this meat treat its palate play.

There is little doubt that the majority of the kebab varieties we are familiar with today, including vegetarian options like Shami Choliya di, Nir Phanas Ki Shammi, and Wajid Ali Shah’s once-favourite Chotey Tamatar Ki Shammi made of curd and sunflower seed paste stuffed desi tomatoes, are the result of cooks’ need to innovate at various points in history — some out of necessity, others to showcase the brilliance in the creation that would allow kebabs two important aces: one to adopt to new ingredients and two to be relevant through different seasons.

The use of herbs, mince, and soft cuts for simple cooking and digestion, as well as, most significantly, the accompaniment, were some of the clever cooking methods used back then. From the Pashtun-styled fruits on the side, particularly the melon, which served as a great palate cleanser, to the chutneys and condiments that helped elevate the experience, such as the Angaare kebab, which used chillies to create a variety that paid ode to the new ingredient and became a summertime favourite, chefs continue to use ingredients that best enhance its flavour.

(The author is a seasoned food columnist and curator of experiential dining experiences, pop-ups and retreats for chefs.)