The Story of the Kebab that is Lighter than Air : Kakori Kebabs at Al Kauser in RK Puram
It is the year 1896. A man named Nabbu Mian sold kebabs for a living. Like a wandering bard who sang poetry through his crackling grill, he used to roam around the city of Lucknow, setting up shop in various local fairs, selling a unique kind of kebab known as the Kakori Kebab - named after the small town of Kakori located around 20 kilometres away from Lucknow’s city centre.
This ordinary town, home to around 20 thousand people, finds its way into the history books because of not one, but two major incidents. The first being the Kakori Conspiracy - a train robbery hatched by the socialist revolutionaries Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqullah Khan in 1925, who alongside other revolutionaries of the Hindustan Republican Association, planned and executed a heist of the Number 8 Down Train which was carrying sacks full of money extracted from the Indians in the form of taxes. The other is the invention of the Kakori Kebab, for which we have to go much back in time.
The history of the Kakori Kebab is rather peculiar. Syed Mohammad Haider Kazmi was the Nawab of Kakori, and one summer, he had invited a British official to his palace for a feast of mangoes. The Nawab prided himself on his hospitality, and had laid out a grand platter of seekh kebabs, fresh mangoes, and other royal dishes. But the British official did not fancy the feast. He felt that the kebabs were too coarse and chewy, and made sure this complaint of his reached the Nawab. The Nawab did not take this insult lightly. Fuming, he ordered his chefs to create the softest kebab humanly possible. The chefs experimented with various elements, before finally settling on using raw Maliabali mangoes, which were in season at the time, and raw papayas as a tenderizer for the meat. The minced meat, tenderised with raw fruits, would then be placed on a skewer and grilled over a flame, and the end product that is generated as a result of it would be a kebab lighter than helium, softer than a knife cutting through butter.
But back to Lucknow. Nabbu Mian was skilled at making these kebabs. He was blessed by an old man, who was taken aback by his modesty, and foresaw him and his progeny being celebrated across the globe for their expertise in grilling kebabs. Eventually, the prophecy came true. Nabbu Mian’s kebabs grew in popularity across the entirety of Lucknow, reaching the upper crusts of Lakhnavi society, and the riches he amassed allowed him and his son, Kallu Mian, to set up a pakka shop near the city’s railway station in 1920, named “Kallu Kabab Wala”. Kallu’s son, Ishtiyaq Ahmed, also joined them in this endeavour, and they started catering to orders from high-profile affairs across the nation. Ishtiyaq moved to Dilli in 1970, and joined the ITC Maurya Sheraton, a legacy that has been continued by his son, Ashfaq Ahmed till date.
In 1979, Zeenat Kauser Dehlvi and her daughter, Sadia Dehlvi, invited Ishtiyaq to set up a booth outside their abode on Sardar Patel Marg. Zeenat owned the beloved Urdu magazine, “Shama”, and as a result, their home was frequented by the crème de la crème of Dilli society. Sadia had just returned from New York, where she was fascinated by the concept of street food, which had not spread its wings across Dilli yet, whose food was limited to five-star hotels and lavish restaurants located in Connaught Place. If one wished to eat kebabs, they would have to hike through the congested and murky gullies of Old Dilli, which was not a tempting prospect for members of the Dilli bourgeoisie. The kiosk, which was named “Al Kauser” after Zeenat’s middle name, was the first roadside kebab shop outside Old Dilli, and was in vogue in Dilli in the 1980s and 1990s. Amongst those who have sampled Ishtiyaq’s food includes high profile dignitaries such as the Nawab of Pataudi, Indira Gandhi, Nargis Dutt, Shatrughan Sinha, Rajesh Khanna and so on. Today, they have outlets across the city, most notably in Chanakyapuri just opposite Assam Bhavan, and in the Vasant Place Market in Rama Krishna Puram.
Al Kauser is practically a monthly pilgrimage for me at this point. Through turbulent times and frolic festivities, I can always bank on their Mutton Kakori Kebabs to be awaiting me at their outlet in RK Puram. My order has been the same since I first went, and I have been hesitant to deviate from tradition over the months. Their Mutton Kakori Kebabs, Mutton Galawati Kebabs and Mutton Burra are all that one needs.
It is a testament to the quality of their Mutton Kakoris that one can sense its scrumptiousness long before they have nibbled a morsel. A touch lighter than a feather is enough to reassure the visitor of the grand legacy of the establishment they’re visiting, for the Kakori starts to crumble apart at the lightest touch, like a Himalayan avalanche of meat and spices falling in your hands. Pick up the kebab with a rumali roti, dip it in their cold, fresh green chutney and gather a bunch of onions in your bite, before placing it in your mouth, which will introduce you to a word of flavours and textures you would have never thought existed before. The kebabs, which are tenderised with raw papaya, are so soft that they make teeth obsolete, as they are smooth enough to instantly melt in your mouth, a dish that would have certainly pleased the British official who visited Kakori several decades ago. Then comes a rush of flavour, as the kebabs feature over 52 spices, khoya and herbs. The kebabs are aromatic, and the spice is not too intense, but well-balanced. What is really underrated though, is the mint-coriander chutney that is served alongside the kebabs, which dampens the flavours of the kebab and helps to bind it with the roti and the onions. I believe it may be hard for anyone to disagree with my judgement that their Mutton Kakoris are the best Kakori Kebabs to be found in Dilli.
Their Mutton Galawatis are quite similar to their Kakoris, except that they’re puck shaped and deep fried in oil instead of being roasted over a grill, which gives it a crispy outer covering that one can break apart to reveal a soft inner belly. I would probably rank them as the third-best Galawatis of Dilli, behind Lucknowi Galawati Kebab in Zakir Nagar, whose kebabs are crispier and feature a stronger, heavier blend of spices which instantly bursts in your mouth that I fancy a lot, and Al Kuresh in Yashwant Place, whose kebabs are crispier as well, and the flavours are strong but on the more muted side compared to Lucknowi Galawati.
Another fabulous thing to have here is their Mutton Burra, chunks of meat roasted in a tandoor, which is normally very difficult to prepare as the meat tends to remain hard, but Al Kauser’s preparation is top-notch. The meat is cooked till a sufficient level of tenderness, and the smoky flavour imparted on it by the tandoor makes it a delicacy that is worth being celebrated.
I have rarely deviated from my usual order, for the one time I did, ordering their chicken seekh kebabs, I was disappointed, both by the masalas and the meat. I shall update the post as and when (and if) I try out other dishes from this place. But in any case, I reckon it would be an uphill battle if one were to beat their Kakoris and Galawatis. Even for themselves.
Recommendations : Mutton Kakori Kebabs (9.5/10), Mutton Burra (9.5/10), Mutton Galawati Kebabs (9/10)
Locations :
Vasant Place Market, 30, near Malai Temple, Sector 6, Rama Krishna Puram, New Delhi, Delhi 110022
Assam House, Kirti Nagar, Block X, Diplomatic Enclave, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, Delhi 110011
