Bihari
Kebab
| (Tender
beef fillet barbecued on skewers) |
It
is traditional to prepare and cook Bihari Kebabs
during the three day celebration of Eid-ul-Azha.
It is a popular dish to be included in the wedding
menu and is typically served with parathas, which
is a fried layered bread. |
I
like to toast my spices in a pan in the oven,
shaking them a few times – which takes about
10 minutes. The papaya imparts a subtle sweetness
but mainly acts as a tenderizer for the meat. |
4
large black cardamoms
4 small green cardamoms
6 black peppercorns
1 4-inch cinnamon stick
4 cloves
2 teaspoon whole cumin
6 red dried chillies
1 medium papaya
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 medium onions, minced
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
3 pounds of thinly sliced beef filet
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro |
| Roast the whole spices and grind
them in a grinder. Peel and remove seeds from the
papaya and puree it in a blender. Mix the roasted
spices, salt and pureed papaya together with minced
onions, ginger and garlic. Mix all the ingredients
thoroughly with the beef, cover with plastic wrap
and leave in the refrigerator, overnight or at least
8 hours. Thread the beef on metal skewers and then
place on medium hot grill. In Pakistan, this is typically
cooked over a coal fire, but you can use a gas grill. |
| When
done, take the meat off the skewers and serve with
thinly sliced onions and fresh chopped cilantro.
Served with parathas, pooris or biryani. Serves
6. |
Story
of Bihari Kebab
| Bihari
Kebab is cooked as a very special dish during the
celebration of ‘Eid-ul-Azha’, in numerous
households. ‘Eid-ul-Azha’ is the second
very important Muslim holiday and will be celebrated
during the last week of January this year. The first
being, ‘Eid-ul-Fitr’ which is celebrated
to commemorate the end of Ramadan-a month of fasting
for Muslims. Eid-ul-Azha, is celebrated at the end
of Hajj, which is an annual pilgrimage to Mecca.
This holiday is also known as the ‘Festival
of Sacrifice’, which pays homage to the prophet
Abraham’s unselfish act of sacrificing his
son, Ishmael, to God. In turn, God spared the boy’s
life and instead substituted a sheep. Now in remembrance,
people sacrifice a lamb, goat, or cow. One-third
of the meat is distributed among poor, a third is
shared with family and friends and only a third is
kept at home for personal use. |
| Other
complimentary dishes like, parathas, biryani and
raita are served with the kebabs. My family used
to get together and take turns every year between
my uncle, aunts and our home to share the feast.
Our family’s head chef, who all the kids used
to call ‘Mama’, which is an Urdu word
for uncle, was an expert in this dish –well,
he was an expert of all dishes. Mama was adopted
by my grandmother when he was seven years old and
he stayed with our family until he passed away, a
few years ago. He was one of the most trusted people
in our family. The fun part for all of us kids was
to try to pick the cooked pieces of kebabs from the
hot coal, when they would fall from the skewers during
the cooking process. Those pieces had their own flavor,
I am not sure if it was because my cousins and I
used to fight to get the most pieces and it was fun
or because they did really taste different. Sometimes,
Mama would get annoyed with us and tell us off, but
we really didn’t care much, we knew he loved
us and we were not wrong! Although, Mama was not
a man of many words but I would always remember his
affection, wisdom and expertise and I am sure most
of the kids in our family feel the same! |
Huma
Siddiqui
President |
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