Mention grills to Chef Rishi, and he’ll begin to tell you about feasting on post-cricket kababs as a child and learning how to make marinades as a young chef. To celebrate the launch of our all-new Grill Kits, ideal summer party food for the BBQ (or the kitchen grill as little monsoons occur often in the UK) thanks to how easy they are to make, it feels only fitting he share some of his mouthwatering memories.
As a thirteen year old boy in Delhi with endless energy and appetite, I treasured Sunday mornings. I’d wake up early, jump on my rickety Hero Cycle bicycle and hurriedly pedal five miles to a park close to Shantivan and Raj Ghat. There, me and my friends would set-up makeshift stick stumps and play cricket for hours… or until our minds and bellies turned (inevitably) to food.
This particular park held special importance for me, partly for the cricket, but mainly for the grills. After our sporting endeavours, we’d pack up and queue up outside our favourite grill vendor, waiting for the coals to be lit. As soon as they were ready, we’d eat a champion feast of sheekh kababs, murgh malai and chicken tikka covered in spicy-sour marinades and cooked on the open grill. We were more often than not the first customers of the day to pile in – loyal, some would say but perhaps it was more an over-fondness for food.
My life is peppered with rich memories of grills. The scent of charcoal wafting on the morning air as my father lit coals for the tandoor on our terrace (it was there that I pulled my first naan at the age of 6!). Balmy evenings spent in Colaba, Bombay, watching skewers of meat, seafood and vegetables smoke and sizzle and spit on open flaming grills as chefs toss and stretch dough to make fresh rotis. Deep enjoyment, guaranteed!
In my experience, and after enjoying many kebabs, I have learned that the finest grills are made up of three key steps:
The above will give you grills fit for a feast. And if time (and fridge space) are not on your side, then you may be happy to learn of our all-new Grill Kits, in which Dishoom chefs have deftly taken care of the marinating process, leaving you to simply turn on your grill or, fire up the BBQ – optimal for summer parties when time is better spent chatting to friends than cooking. Then within 30 minutes, you’ll be tucking into a plentiful spread of succulent Spicy Lamb Chops & Murgh Malai or vegetarian Paneer Tikka paired with Soya Chaap & Pineapple Tikka. Soya Chaap is one of my most-loved street foods in India and when coupled with pineapple, this grill has a sense of sweet surprise.
Vibrantly fresh green chutney is very often served with hot grills, for dipping and daubing as you see fit, so we’ve included our Coriander-mint Chutney (Tomato Chilli Jam and Chilli Chutney add an addictive bit of heat for those who like things a little spicier) along with our House Black Daal, Kachumber and a soft fluffy Naan reminiscent of the ones I used to make on the terrace as a child. If I’m hosting a summer party then I like to round it all off with a cold Dishoom IPA or refreshingly lovely India Gimlet.
And I should add, those lazy-hazy days of playing cricket and eating delicious grills with my old friends have certainly paid off – not as premier cricketers I hasten to add – but rather, we’re now all chefs.
The Grill Kit is positively treat-worthy for two – choose from Lamb & Chicken or vegetarian Paneer & Soya Chaap. Orders are available with nominated day delivery.
Prepared with love by Dishoom chefs, kits are delivered nationwide* before 10pm on your chosen date. For every kit you enjoy, we donate a meal to Akshaya Patra.
Lamb & Chicken Grill Kit
Spicy Lamb Chops – four top-quality chops of generous proportions that have been marinated in warm dark spices, ginger, garlic and lime juice
Murgh Malai – richly marinated, mildly spiced chicken thigh meat which has been steeped in garlic, ginger, coriander stems and a little cream
Paneer & Soya Grill Kit
Paneer Tikka – a cheese with a soft and forgiving nature that picks up flavours wonderfully. Marinated with spices and yoghurt then gently charred under the grill with peppers at home.
Soya Chaap & Pineapple Tikka – a top vegetarian couplet of marinated spiced soy kabab and pineapple
All-important trimmings
House Black Daal – the Dishoom signature dish, dark, rich, deeply flavoured. It is cooked over 24 hours for extra harmony (though it will take mere minutes in your own kitchen!)
Kachumber – a messy to-do of cucumber, onion and tomato
Kabab Masala – the house spice mix that finishes many Dishoom dishes: kababs, vegetables, meat and more
Naan – made by hand. Optimal for mopping up juices.
Coriander-mint Chutney – fresh, cooling chutney as served in our cafés
Salted Butter – milk of renowned quality, churned in the traditional way in Somerset
*Delivery area covers the UK mainland (except Northern Ireland), with some exclusions in Scotland and Channel Islands due to the transit time required. Regretfully, no changes or substitutions can be made to this kit. Must be consumed within two days of delivery.
** Kindly note:— Grill Kits are delivered anytime before 10pm on your chosen day, so be sure to select the day before you plan on enjoying.
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.