Galouti kebab is the pride of Lucknow. Legend says it was created for Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula, who had lost his teeth but not his love of meat, so his cooks devised a kebab soft enough to melt in the mouth. Galouti itself means soft. Tunday Kababi in Aminabad, famous for a secret spice mix said to run to over a hundred ingredients, made it known well beyond the city.
The secret is texture. Mutton mince is ground to a paste, tenderised with raw papaya, bound with roasted gram flour and perfumed with cardamom, mace, saffron, rose and kewra. The patties are shallow fried in ghee until a thin crust forms while the inside stays almost creamy. A puff of clove smoke adds the finishing touch.
Galoutis are served as a starter at Awadhi feasts and weddings, traditionally with ulte tawe ka paratha, a thin, flaky bread cooked on an upturned griddle, and sliced onions with mint chutney. Making them at home takes time, especially the grinding, but the mixture can be prepared a day ahead and kept chilled. A pinch of the spice blend sprinkled over the cooked kebabs adds a final burst of fragrance.
At a glance
| Region | Uttar Pradesh |
|---|---|
| Cuisine | Awadhi |
| Diet | Non-vegetarian |
| Course | Snack |
| Prep time | 40 minutes |
| Cook time | 25 minutes |
| Total time | 65 minutes |
| Serves | 4 |
| Spice level | Medium |
| Difficulty | Hard |
| Gluten-free | Yes |
| Key ingredients | mutton mince / raw papaya / besan / ghee / saffron |
Ingredients
For the kebab mixture
- 500 g mutton mince, with about 15 percent fat
- 2 tbsp raw papaya paste (skin on)
- 1 1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 tbsp roasted besan
- 3 tbsp fried onions, crushed to a paste
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp salt
- A pinch of saffron in 1 tbsp warm milk
- 1/2 tsp kewra water
- 1/2 tsp rose water
- 1 tbsp ghee
For the galouti masala
- 6 green cardamom
- 1 black cardamom
- 4 cloves
- 1 small blade mace
- 1/4 nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp shahi jeera
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp dried rose petals
To cook
- 4 tbsp ghee
- 1 piece charcoal and 2 cloves for smoking (optional)
Method
- Grind the galouti masala ingredients to a fine powder.
- Pass the mince through the fine plate of a mincer twice, or blitz it in a food processor in batches until it becomes a smooth, sticky paste with no visible fibres.
- Mix the mince with papaya paste, ginger-garlic paste, roasted besan, fried onion paste, chilli powder, salt and 1 1/2 tsp of the galouti masala. Add saffron milk, kewra, rose water and 1 tbsp ghee and knead 2 to 3 minutes.
- Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours, no longer – papaya will turn the meat mushy if left overnight.
- For smoke, heat the charcoal on a flame until glowing, place it in a small steel bowl set in the meat, add cloves and a few drops of ghee, cover for 5 minutes, then remove.
- With oiled hands, shape the mixture into thin patties about 6 cm across and 1 cm thick. They will be soft; chill them for 15 minutes if hard to handle.
- Heat ghee in a flat non-stick pan on medium. Fry 4 to 5 patties at a time for 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning once very gently with a flat spatula, until a deep brown crust forms.
- Drain briefly and serve immediately.
Tips
- Fat in the mince is essential for softness; very lean mince makes dry, crumbly kebabs.
- Roast the besan on low until nutty and slightly darker before adding.
- Flip only once; the patties are fragile until the crust sets.
Serve with
Ulte tawe ka paratha or sheermal, with onion rings and mint chutney.