Smokin’ good times: Seasonal grilled dishes to enjoy this winter

Fire up the sigri and enjoy an evening of grilling winter bounties and a big spread of meats

In the city’s extremely short-lived winter, take time to appreciate the bounties of seasonal produce with a good grill at home. Chef Sanjyot Keer, digital content creator and founder, Your Food Lab, asks us to imagine a well-grilled shakarkand with a wacky pineapple dressing, served with garlic-fried red chillies or juicy seekh kababs, grilled burger and tandoori raan with an assortment of chutneys. “It’s always a hit,” he tells us. “While there are high-end gas versions that do a decent job, nothing is better than the very basic, inexpensive Indian sigri to do the job. Just know that coal fire is a must for that perfectly charred taste. This may sound fancy, but once you give it a try, you’ll love the process.”

Chef Anuradha Joshi, founder of Charoli Foods, whose maas ke sule, hari murgi and teekhe shalgam are a big hit during the season, agrees. “If you are starting out, use a gas grill. But there is nothing like a good coal and wood BBQ,” she adds. Home chef Pradhi Arora who runs The Kitchen Affair in Santacruz has a set of curated meals and charcuterie platters. She believes that the essence of a good BBQ is slow-cooking to allow the flavours to enhance. “Don’t rush the process and ensure that the cooking equipment you are using is well-heated and greased. Slow-cook and let the good, smoky flavours enter your food — it is worth the wait,” she adds.

Burger by The Kitchen Affair

Dress it up

A good BBQ cannot be made without a good flavourful marinade that works not only to enhance the flavours but also to tenderise the meat and protein. Joshi suggests preparing marinated meats and vegetables much in advance — at least eight hours — to let in the flavour, and to use a natural tenderising agent. “Raw papaya, kachri [wild melon], or curd work best,” she adds. 

While making a grilled chicken or paneer-based dish, Arora recommends a two-stage marination — first, a basic marinade with mild herbs and spices like ginger, garlic and pepper, and the second one, that is more robust and has flavour-enhancing sauces and spices. Her smoky barbecue chicken, made with this method, never fails to impress guests.

While there are various marinades available in the market, Keer loves to prepare his own: “This allows experimenting with flavours, using minimum spices and herbs. Besides, you get to experiment with colours in terms of marinades that add a vibrant pop to the spread.  Make sure you prepare good dips and chutneys to serve along.” 

Shop for equipment

Keer works with a lot of equipment because he usually does a lot of cooking in his kitchen; however, he suggests going slow and cheap with mostly handy equipment and later investing in better products. “If you don’t want to spend a lot, visit the nearest commercial restaurant supply shop. Every city has one and you’ll be surprised by the prices. There are costly equipment brands that are really good as well. Both do the same job with each having their pros and cons,” he adds. 

Joshi, too, says that you can shop for the equipment online for the most sophisticated new-age grills or visit the city’s utensil markets for more traditional grillers. Pre-pandemic, Arora used to shop for equipment at the Kalbadevi market but now, online shopping has come to her rescue.

The BBQ bash

Keer suggests, “For ingredients, local markets are the best. Organise well, marinate in advance and half-cook foods which take time, so the guests don’t have to wait. However, do not overcook anything; the barbecue gets too hot and anything could turn from juicy to dry or from perfectly cooked to burn in a matter of seconds. Always pay attention and keep in mind that everything around the griller is really hot; do not touch it without gloves or some protection and most importantly, never barbecue or grill in a closed room.”  

Joshi recommends identifying the heat spots on your grill, and to have a fire extinguisher handy. “Don’t leave the grill unattended. Never hurry up the process of grilling or grill without cleaning the residue,” she adds. Arora adds, “Always let the grill preheat fully and grease it well. Before placing your food on the grill, make sure the meat is at room temperature as this will cook the food evenly. Also, try not to flip it too many times. Never cut the meat to check the doneness; that will lead to all the flavourful juices running out. Instead, use a thermometer. Allow the meat to rest for at least two to five minutes before serving — this will help in making your meat juicy and more flavourful.”

Teekhe shalgam

Ingredients
. 1/2 kg turnips (cut into cubes of 1.5 inches) 
. 2 tbsp curd. 1 tsp kachri
. 2 tsp red chilli powder 
. 1 medium onion (make paste) 
. 1 tsp green chilli paste 
. 1 tsp ginger paste 
. 1/2 tsp fennel powder 
. 1 pinch cloves powder 
. 1 tbsp lemon 
. 1 tsp sugar 
. Salt to taste 

Method
Marinate everything together for over six to eight hours. Prepare the grill with coal and applewood or guava wood. Start grilling slowly and keep brushing with desi ghee. Once soft, remove from the grill, squeeze a little lime and chaat masala, and enjoy with spicy guava chutney.

Courtesy Anuradha Joshi

Chef Anuradha Joshi

Arora’s BBQ toolkit

.  A heat-resistant thermometer
.  Coal to give it a good smoky flavour
.  A good cast-iron grill pan

Butter chicken tikka

Ingredients
. 500 gm chicken breast 
. 1 tbsp mustard oil 
. 1 tbsp red chilli powder 
. 1 tbsp coriander powder 
. 1 tbsp jeera powder 
. 1 tsp amchur powder 
. ½ tsp garam masala 
. 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste 
. 2 tbsp cashew nut paste 
. 2 tbsp fresh cream 
. 2 tbsp tomato purée 
. 1 tsp sugar 
. 1 tsp kasuri methi 
. 1/4th cup hung curd 
. 1 tbsp roasted besan 
. 1 medium tomato (deseeded and diced) 
. 1 medium capsicum (diced) 
. 1 medium onion (petals) 
. 1 tsp oil 
. Butter

Method
Slice the chicken breast from between, and further cut the chicken into thin slices. In a mixing bowl, add mustard oil, powdered spices, ginger-garlic paste, cashew nut paste, fresh cream, tomato purée, sugar, kasuri methi and salt to taste; mix well. Add hung curd and roasted besan, mix well again, and add the chicken slices, tomatoes, capsicums and onions. Mix and coat well. Marinate it for at least 30 minutes. Fold and skew the chicken slices along with veggies on a metal skewer. Cook in a preheated tandoor or a charcoal grill until the chicken has cooked and is tender. Serve hot by pouring some fresh cream and melted butter. Sprinkle chaat masala and serve with green chutney and onion slices.

Courtesy chef Sanjyot Keer

Chef Sanjyot Keer

Keer’s BBQ toolkit

. A rectangular coal sigri; 2-in-1 gas and coal-fired tandoor; gas-fired grill
. Multiple skewers
.  Kitchen gloves
. A handy table to set the ingredients
.  Some gastronorm pans for marinating the meats and veggies
. A handy fan to fire the coal quickly
. Chimney starter for firing up the first coals

BBQ all the way

Backyard BBQ experts, couple Larissa Valladares and Joshua Pereira, started Incendiary Kitchen where they began by making Goan sausages from scratch and smoking it in their smoker; later, they included smoking bacon and ham. Valladares reveals, “As the heat and smoke are produced on the outside, the smoke is well infused, without a charred effect.” Today, their menu boasts of smoked Goan sausages, bacon, break-fast ham and occasionally, whole chicken, pastrami, pork ribs and Naga-style smoked pork.

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