Rains and Ramzan: Barbecue in Balcony, Kababs & Chiken Tikka

Barbecue begins....

For the last couple of days, it's been heavenly. Incessant rains have brought relief after the long summer season and now the city looks green.

It was fun, having barbecue at our place. In the balcony that overcomes the vast expanse of greenery, we set up the portable barbecue set, which was bought sometime back but not used.

We weren't sure how it would come out to be. The coal had been arranged. First, we found that there two kinds of coal, the patthar ka koyla [stone coal] and then the lakdi ka koyla [wood coal].

One of them burnt easily while the other didn't. And that we had to get the latter one. After searching for a few days, we managed to find the place where the particular coal was sold. The date was decided when we had to do this experiment.

The barbecue set was opened and kept in the balcony. Showers had made the weather pleasant. In the balcony, there was no direct rain but a cool breeze that brought droplets. It was not so easy and took an effort before the coals caught the fire.

Seekh ke Kabab

As flames reached the desired height, the 'seekh' were kept. Newspapers served as traditional hand-held fans that are used to keep the flame up.

The 'Seekh ke Kabab' were getting ready. There was lot of stuff--chicken tikkas & mutton pieces, to be cooked later. The aroma had increased the appetite.

As evening descends, one waits for the call of Azan and the 'gola chhootna' [cracker's sound] that signals that the fast should be broken now. In fact, it's great to have Ramzan [some guys spell it Ramadan], the holy month of fasting, fall in this season.

The fasts don't seem long, unlike summers when you look at the clock ticking and waiting for the minute hands to touch the 'iftaar time'. We were a bit skeptic initially that whether the kebabs had been adequately cooked or not.

'Chimta' and Chicken...

They came out well and were really tasty. So were the other delicacies. The salt and 'masala' was also fine. There is definitely a different kind of aroma and taste when food is cooked on coal, especially, in the open.

There was smoke in a couple of rooms for a while, but then, one has to bear it. Though I am not a foodie and due to my laziness, there are not much 'dawats' or parties at my place, I did enjoy this one thoroughly.

When you put in a bit of more effort, the result is always better. As we had just started savouring the delicacies, there came the heavy rain.

With the house surrounded by trees and a rivulet flowing on one side, it made our day. [I heard that Delhi and parts of North India, are still reeling under the hot summer] Enjoyed every bit of the mausam and the mughlai food. 

Not much, but our own little adventures, for a change which we all are probably entitled to. The portable barbeque set is fine, as it becomes a small light suitcase, that can be carried anywhere, and when needed turned into a barbecue. So it was a nice, cosy, little picnic at home. Next time, we might go near a dam for more fun.