Mango Seekh: For the Nit-Picky Firangi

This kebab was not born out of the 1925 Kakori Conspiracy, but it was born out of colonial occupation.

Mango meets meat. Need I say more (Image credit: https://www.zappfresh.com/blog/recipes/kakori-kebab/)

One of the many gifts of the Awadhi tradition is the Kakori kebab. My personal favourite. But this kebab, while tender and softer than its older brother the legendary Seekh, has a more ‘humbling’ origin story. In fact, to know where this oh so tender delight was born, we need to head westward from the kebab capital, Lucknow, to the district of Kakori.

No, this kebab was not born out of the 1925 Kakori Conspiracy, but it was born out of colonial occupation. In a roundabout way, albeit.

Legend has it that once Nawab Syed Mohammad Haider Kazmi, a local lord, threw a mango party for his British consorts. He lavished on his guests a wide and rich array of Awadhi delicacies including, of course, the mighty Seekh kebab. But one British official made a curt remark as to the chewiness of the Nawab’s seekh. Enraged, the Nawab put his rakabdar (head chef) and khansamas to work. They had to prepare an even more tender version of the Seekh, by sunrise! A daunting task, especially if one considers how long it takes to tenderize meat. And, no, they could not accomplish this in a day. It took the culinary wizards ten days.

After a host of tweaks and experiments and, what one can only assume, sleepless nights of mincing and tenderizing in different ways, using various ingredients- the Kakori kebab came into existence. The trick was the use of Malihabadi mangoes to tenderize the raan (meat taken from the thigh of a goat) along with kidney fat. This mixture was then grinded multiple times, no less than 6. For flavour: cardamom, saffron, onions, roasted chana powder, cashew paste, rose petals, cloves and khus-khus. The whole process took a full day. The standout feature of this kebab is that the meat is encased in a thin membrane, else the entire kebab falls apart. And unlike other kebabs, the sheer tenderness of the Kakori requires a deft and steady hand to cook. The raw mince mixture needs to stay on the stick and held close enough for a case to form but far enough that it doesn’t burn. It is culinary prowess at its finest.

Methinks, this is the Silent King of Kebabs; after all it was born from the use of the King of Fruits- an innovation that could only happen in India.