It’s almost impossible to describe kebabs in a few words to someone who has not tasted them. It means different things in different countries and only in the Indian subcontinent and Middle East does the word invoke thousand different memories of a thousand different varieties. From the shammi tikia in Kolkata, kakori and galauti kebab in Lucknow, burrah kebab in Delhi, sheekh kebab in Pakistan, chappli kebab in Afghanistan to the doner kebab in Turkey, the kebab trail stretches across the globe.
Once we take away the outer trappings of kebabs, they are surprisingly easy to make at home and even the galauti kebab, one of the tougher kebabs along with the kakori — is surprisingly easy.

Galauti Kebab

The galauti (literally meaning that which melts in the mouth) is a near cousin of the kakori kebab and originates from the same area (Kakori) near Lucknow. While ensuring that the fragile kakori does not crumble and fall off the skewer is a job for an expert, the galauti, made with the same spices, can be made by anyone as it is shaped into flat roundels and shallow fried.

Ingredients
500 gm minced mutton
2 onions, sliced and fried till golden brown and ground to a paste
4 green cardamom
1 black cardamom
2 cloves
½ tsp nutmeg, grated
2-3 green chillies, finely chopped
½ tsp white pepper, ground
2 eggs
4 tbsp besan
Salt to taste
Oil or ghee
1 piece of charcoal

Method
Grind the mince twice till it is smooth and keep aside. Dry roast the besan till it is slightly brown and mix with the mince along with the ground onions. Crush the green and black cardamom and cloves and along with the grated nutmeg, white pepper, green chillies, eggs and salt, and mix with the mince mixture. Marinate in the refrigerator for four hours. Take the mince out around 30 minutes before serving. Place the mince in a bowl and make a shallow hole in the centre. Heat the charcoal over a fire till it is red hot. Put a piece of aluminium foil in the depression and place the charcoal on the aluminium foil taking care that it doesn’t touch the mince.
Pour a tablespoon of ghee over the charcoal and tightly cover the bowl so the smoke remains inside. Keep covered for 10 minutes, remove the lid and discard the charcoal and foil. The mince will have a wonderful smoky smell now.With wet hands, shape the mince into small balls then flatten them to shape into tikkis. Heat two tablespoons of oil or ghee in a heavy-bottomed frying pan and fry the kebabs for 5 minutes on each side.
Serve with onion rings and lemon wedges.

Paneer and Bell Pepper Tikka

While kebabs are traditionally cooked over charcoal barbeques, tikkas are more Punjabi in nature and are cooked in the tandoor. While the big and cumbersome tandoors are practical only in restaurants and farmhouses in Punjab, the barbeque is a must for any household with a terrace or a big balcony.

Ingredients
500 gm paneer
1 onion
1 red or yellow bell pepper
1 tomato
200 gm mushroom
For the marinade:
1/2 cup curd
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp chaat masala
1 tsp red chilli powder
Salt, to taste

Method
Cut the paneer and all the vegetables into ½ inch-thick cubes. Mix the marinade ingredients and add to the paneer and vegetables. Keep aside for an hour. Skewer the paneer and vegetables (alternating the two) and grill over an open flame or oven griller, basting with oil till done. Sprinkle chaat masala and serve.