Galouti Kebab in a dish from Lucknow which melts in your mouth.  This dish has some rare spices which gives it a nice aroma and taste.  To name some are Paan Ki Jad, Long Pepper (Peepli), Rose Petals, Khas Ki Jad and Indian Galangal which I didn’t manage to get it from market as they were not available.  I cooked Galouti Kebab with whichever ingredients I got from market, still turned out to be very yummy and melted in my mouth.  My way of cooking Galouti Kebab.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • Cashew Nuts – One small cup.
  • Onion – One large size.  Sliced.
  • Cooking Oil – as much required for deep frying.
  • Tej Patta (Bay Leaves) – Two.
  • Jaifal (nutmeg) – Half tsp powder.
  • Kesar (Saffron) – 1 tbs.
  • Shahi Jeera – 1 tsp.
  • Pepper seeds – 1 tbs.
  • Lawang (Cloves) – 2 tbs.
  • Green Cardamom – 4 to 5 pieces.
  • Black Cardamom – 2 pieces.
  • Kabab Cheeni seeds – 1 tbs.
  • Dagad Phool (dried stone flower) – 2 to 3 inch.
  • Daal Chini (Cinamon stick) – 2 inch.
  • Star Anise – 3 pieces.
  • Javitri (Mace) – 1 large or 2 small pieces.
  • Raw Papaya with Skin – 8 to 10 medium sized cut pieces.
  • Ginger and Garlic paste – 2 tbs.
  • Salt to taste.
  • Ghee – as required.
  • Fresh Mutton Kheema (Minced boneless goat meat) – 750 gms.
  • Kewra Water – 1 tsp.
  • Rose Water – 1 tsp.
  • Charcoal – 1 large or 2 medium size.
  • Kashmiri Red Chilli powder – 1 tbs.
  • Egg – One. Whipped.

Method:

  • Take a Kadai.  Add cooking oil a cup or so.  Heat it up.
  • Add sliced onion to the hot oil and brown it.  Remove it from hot oil after browning and allow it to cool.
  • In the same hot oil, add cashew nuts and fry it for a minute on high flame until very light brown colour.  Remove it from hot oil and allow it to cool.
  • Transfer fried onion and cashew nuts in a mixer grinder.  Add little water.  Grind them into a fine paste.  Keep it aside.
  • Take a pan and heat it up.
  • Add to the pan all whole dry masalas except Kesar (Saffron) – shahi jeera, black pepper, star anise, cinamon stick, green cardamom, black cardamom, bay leaves, mace, nutmeg, lawang, kabab cheeni, dagad phool – dry roast it for 2 to 3 minutes on medium flame.  Don’t brown it.
  • Transfer this roasted whole masalas to mixer grinder.  Add Saffron also with this masalas in the grinder.  Grind them into a fine dry powder.  Special Galouti masala is ready.  Remove and keep it aside.
  • Transfer raw papaya pieces to mixer grinder and grind it into a fine paste.  Remove and keep it aside.
  • Transfer the Kheema (Minced Mutton) to the mixer grinder.  Grind the Kheema into a fine paste.
  • Take a large mixing utensil or bowl.  Add grinded kheema, 2 tbs or ghee, ginger garlic paste, onion cashew paste, salt to taste in the mixing bowl.  Mix them well using your palm for 5 to 8 minutes.
  • Now add raw papaya paste to the kheema.  Mix them really well again using your palm.  Rub your palm on the kheema so the papaya is mixed well  with all the kheema.
  • Add 2 tbs or grinded/powdered special Galouti masala powder to the kheema mix. Again rub / mix them well with kheema using your palm for 5 to 8 minutes.
  • Keep this kheema mixture in the fridge for atleast 4 hours.  This time is required for raw papaya to react with kheema which makes is very tender and quick to cook.  
  • After four hours, remove the mixed Galouti Kebab mixture from fridge, spread it and make a small space / well in the middle.  Place a small steel or metal cup in this space / well.
  • Heat up Charcoal directly on flame of your cooking gas until it is red hot.
  • Keep another large utensil or lid ready to cover the galouti kebab mixture to avoid smoke escaping from it.
  • Carefully lift the hot red charcoal and place it in the small steel up kept in the middle of Galouti Kebab mixture.
  • Add 4 to 5 whole Lawang (Clove) pieces to this hot red charcoal.
  • Ad 2 tbs of ghee to the hot red charcoal and immediately use the lid to cover the galouti kebab so that the charcoal/ghee/lawang smoke doesn’t excape out of the utensil.  This smoke should be infused into the galouti kebab mixture. Leave it for 20 to 30 minutes with lid covered.
  • Remove the lid from galouti kebab mixture, add 1 tsp of kashmiri red chilli powder, 1 tbs of ghee, and 1 tbs of grinded special galouti kebab masala powder, beaten egg.  Mix them well again using you palm for another 5 minutes.
  • Take a non-stick pan and heat it up.  Brush some ghee on the pan.  Allow it to heat up.
  • Take water in a small bowl and keep it aside the galuoti kebab mixture.
  • Dip your fingers in the water and lift the galouti kebab to the size of lime using wet fingers and throw it hard on the hot pan so that the lime ball of galuoti kebab flattens on the hot pan.  Don’t touch it.  
  • Allow it to cook on one side until it turn light golden brown.  Gently fip it over without breaking the kebab.  Cook on the other side on low or medium flame until it turns light golden brown.
  • Repeat the above two steps until uou cook the mixture of all the galuti kebab.
  • Serve delicious hot Galouti Kebabs with sliced onions and lime. Enjoy Galouti Kebabs.
  • Happy Eating.