Kebabish – My Favourite Kebab Joint

Contributed by Karam Bharij

Early Indian restaurants in UK were dominated by Bangladeshis. Given that little was known about their cuisine in the UK, they specialised by offering ethnic Bangladeshi cuisine under Indian names.  They mostly served Vindoloo curries to the lager louts on Friday and Saturday nights.  These stone drunk, numbed palates discerned Indian food by its hot chili flavour.  This scenario was changed on the arrival of Mirpuries and Punjabi Muslims from Pakistan. The former introduced a new cuisine called Balti – literally a type of utensil they used to prepare curries. They later introduced snack cuisines and  Karhaidishes of  West Punjab that closely emulated Lahori street food.

Kebabish is one such chain of eateries that caters to the North Indians and Pakistanis in Coventry, which started as a single outlet. The owner soon realised it’s potential and started a franchised businesses under the Kebabish banner, which soon spread to many cities in the UK.  The Coventry branch used to be a small eatery with benches and tables. There was no menu – one simply ordered as one entered. Curries were in the pot and I remember lifting the lid to check the contents and ask the waiter to pour it into a bowl for me. This has all changed now – there are menus on display and the décor has been changed. Though it’s not plush, it closely resembles street cafes of the Indian sub-continent.

The influx of Eastern European Muslim migrants and Somalis has increased the customer base at Kebabish. These migrants are used to eating Naans and charbroiled halal meats. For them, Kebabish was an answer to their prayers to Allah.  Enterprising Mr. Khan has employed two Albanian waitresses to serve their country people. The busiest time is during the month of Ramadan – Muslim families begin and end their fasts here.

Similar to the street cafes of Lahore, the food is prepared on order. Marinated meats are on display in the refrigerated cabinets. Mr. Khan explained to me that kebabs tend to dry out in the cold cabinet and this gives them a rubbery consistency. Hence kebabs are prepared with fresh mince and shaped on skewers. Waiters cum/chefs prepare the orders on three gas cookers near the entrance. At busy times the service is a bit slow as each individual order is cooked fresh, but it’s well worth the wait. Alcohol is not served nor allowed to be consumed on the premises. Some Pakistani restaurants however, allow guests to bring their own bottle and charge corkage.

I usually go to town on Saturday mornings – there are always good opportunities for street photography, visit vegetable and fruit markets, meet friends for coffee and retire to Kebabish around lunch time. My regular order is a dish of four  Seekh Kebabs,  accompanied by a fresh Naan and salad consisting of lettuce, cucumbers, minty yoghurt sauce, garlic yoghurt and chili tamarind sauce.

Lamb kebabs are about six inches in length that are meaty, juicy and and taste very good. Mince is kneaded with grated ginger, garlic, onions, spices, coriander and lemon juice. One can order as per one’s individual kebab preferences too. I usually request the addition of Pakistani Kasoori methi. In my opinion, this is one of the best dried methis from the Indian Sub-continent. On occasions, depending on the mood – I also order minty kebabs.

The chef at Kebabish is known locally as Khan chacha who hails from Azad Kashmir and is a Mirpuri. I do not understand his mirpuri potohari language though it has some resemblance to Punjabi. We converse in Urdu. He uses very flowery and poetic Urdu when greeting me with phrases like, “Now that you come into my life this morning Allah has truly blessed me” and “I am surviving in your reign”. After the formalities are over – I request him to cook the kebabs – “Kebab Lagaa doh“. He brushes aside politics as nothing that will ever benefit him and only benefits corrupt politicians. His religion and politics are to simply to make a modest living, please and  serve customers with his culinary skills. His kebab making process is worth observing.

He places the skewers across the rim of a hot Tandoor, turning these around constantly. This seals the outer skin ensuring the juices are retained. Next he inserts the skewers into the hot Tandoor for a few minutes. Cooked kebabs are removed from the skewers and placed on a hot charcoal grill – coal imparts a smoky flavour to the kebabs.  He also places a cast iron serving plate on the grill, pours oil on to it and adds onions. The heat gently fries the onions until these are quite supple but not brown. The finished kebabs are placed on the onions and garnished with wedges of lemon and coriander.

The fare at Kebabish is good value for money at £4.50 for a portion of kebabs and naan at £1.50. Salad is included in the price. On occasions, to top it all – I will have a Kulfi, which is served in small decorated pot.  The staff at Kebabish will wash the pot after the contents have been eaten, which the customers can take home. On occasions, when accompanied by a friend, I order a mixed grill for two. At £9.00, the mixed grill at Kebabish has hefty proportions of kebabs, lamb chops, chicken tikka, tandoori meats etc. On occasion though I have found the curries to be too salty. This is due to the fact several chefs cum waiters handle the dishes and the addition of salt has not been communicated amongst them. One of the cooks does taste the dish before serving. He pours hot teaspoon of curry on his hand and gently licks it like a connoisseur taster. I imagine he has developed calluses on his hands.

Khan chacha, is very popular with guests at Kebabish, has an amazing memory to remember names, is always cheerful and greets each customer personally. He works from 10.00am to 2.00pm every day. Monday is his day off and occasionally, when I have a day off – I go to his house for some delicious home made Nihari.

On two occasions, I have taken all my departmental work colleagues to Kebabish. There is always a popular demand for return to the same venue as the food at Kebabish is authentic in comparison with other Bangladeshi restaurants in town. On one occasion, we went to Kebabish during the month of Ramadan. It was teeming with customers and the only way our party could get food was by my doubling up as chef and waiter and bringing food to our table. Two of the customers actually picked up an argument with me that I was serving whites before serving other customers!

When In UK – Look out for Kebabish – It’s the closest approximation that one will ever come to street foods of Delhi.

- Karam

Ed: I’ve been to Kebabish in Sheffield and can vouch for Karam’s glowing words on this chain.

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