Melt-in-your-mouth Kakori kebab

Kakori is a small town outside the city of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. The city is known for being the centre of the start of the freedom movement in 1925, and of course, these kebabs.

As the legend goes, the Nawab of Lucknow, Nawab Syed Mohammad Haider Kazmi, arranged a party for one of his British accomplices. The Nawab served the finest Awadhi cuisine to his foreign friends, including the very popular seekh kebabs. However, he was insulted by British officials when they commented on how coarse and tough the kebabs were. He summoned his royal chefs, khansamahs, and asked them to fix this situation. The chefs worked together for 10 days and developed this recipe. They used the green Malaibali mango to tenderise the meat and added ingredients like saffron and rose water to enhance the flavours. Here is the recipe for one of India's most famous and beloved kebabs.

This is a super soft kebab that almost melts in your mouth. The velvety meat has subtle flavours from the spices and mild heat from the chillies. The kebab finishes with the subtle scent of saffron and rose water, making it divine.

This is an excellent cookbook that encompasses both traditional cuisine from the region, dishes from the Raj period, the famous street food of Kolkata, and dishes influenced by Chinese cuisine.

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

1 onion, thinly slices

1 tablespoon oil

1 lb ground mutton or lamb, passed through a mill at least 3 times

1 tablespoon ginger paste

6 garlic cloves, minced and mashed

10-12 mint leaves, minced finely

10-12 cilantro leaves, minced finely

2 tablespoons chickpea flour, lightly roasted

1 teaspoon red chilli powder, or to taste

2 tablespoons green mangoes, preferably malaibali, or green papaya paste

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

A pinch of saffron

A few drops of rose water

Salt, to taste

1-2 tablespoons yoghurt

Ghee

For the spice mix:

4 green cardamom pods

2 cloves

1/2-inch cinnamon stick

1-inch bay leaf

10 black peppercorns

1 blade mace

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

Wedges of lime to garnish.

Start by making the spice mix. Lightly roast all the ingredients individually in a dry frying pan till lightly coloured and aromatic. Cool and grind to a fine powder in a spice mill. Set aside.

Mix all the ingredients, including the spice mix and excluding the ghee. Put the mix into a small blender and blend until you have a smooth purée. If the mix is too thick, add a tablespoon of yoghurt. The final blend should be very soft, like silk,

Remove and make a small tablespoon-sized kebab to taste. Fry the kebab till browned on both sides and taste for spice and salt. Adjust as needed.

Marinate the meat for at least 4 hours, but overnight is ideal.

Make small kebabs, about the size of a ping pong ball. You can either grill these, basting with oil, or fry in oil, or broil them in the oven, basting with ghee. Remove when well browned. Serve immediately with wedges of lime.