सभी का स्वागत
All Welcome
All Welcome
For Chef Rishi Anand Khatri, our newest café special is in fact an old family favourite. His earliest memory of eating Bhatti Chicken is aged 7 or 8, and he recalls his father – the late Khatri Saab – cooking it regularly, thanks to the tandoor on their Delhi terrace. (Bhatti refers to the scorching flame that the chicken is roasted over, until succulent).
Unlike tandoori chicken, its somewhat milder, more commercially-famous cousin – Bhatti Chicken is a dish typically made at home, for family. You will know it instantly by its potent flavour and distinctive black-hued masala, which includes whole lindi pepper, fragrant fennel and earthy dagar ka phool or black stone flower. Khatri Saab, who dreamed of opening his own restaurant one day, also chose to accentuate his masala with the inventive addition of fresh rose petals.
The outcome proved as popular with Chef Rishi’s neighbours as it was with his family. So much so that it was eponymously referred to as Khatri Saab Ka Chicken – Mr Khatri’s Chicken. Today, though the original Khatri Saab is no longer with us, his family Bhatti Chicken recipe (complete with rose petals) continues to live on in Chef Rishi, his son – and now as the Chef’s Special at Dishoom Battersea.
The trick to its rich, deep flavour lies in the double marination: once with its masala blend, and then again with more masala, lemon juice and a generous amount of yoghurt. But equally important is how it is finished: with a hearty helping of butter, chaat masala and cream. As Chef Rishi tells us, this final touch is Bhatti ki jaan: literally, the lifeblood of this very special dish.
We warmly encourage you to try it for yourself on your next visit to Dishoom Battersea. Available in both full and half portions, and accompanied by heapings of vibrant green chutney and onion salad, it makes for a most excellent pairing with our roomali roti. Wash down with the tipple of your choice – teetotal or otherwise.
Vaisakhi, a day marked across India by people of many faiths, is celebrated in the Punjab as the start of the new Harvest. It falls on the 13th or 14th April depending on the calendar for that year.
Spring has gently tiptoed in. As the days lengthen and the sun grows bolder, here’s a glimpse of what we eagerly await in April.
We’re turning page after page of Ayesha Erkin’s recipe book Date of the Day, featuring 30+ recipes for the modest date – timely for breaking fast and after. Our dear friend Ayesha has now kindly shared a recipe for you to make at home. Try it this Iftar or any time you need a salty-spiced sticky treat.
The holy month of Ramadan is upon us, when Muslims around the world fast daily from dawn till dusk. It is a time of private worship and spiritual discipline, but also of shared joy and abundant feasting. Families and communities come together at suhoor, the pre-dawn meal, and at iftar, the evening meal, to break their fasts with copious, delicious dishes. Join us on 7th April for our own Iftar celebration – for an evening of feasting and live music.