Tangy Hyderabadi Lukhmi, snack with no comparison

During a recent trip to Dallas, Texas and a visit to a local restaurant, owned by a Hyderabadi entrepreneur, reminded me of a long lost dish - Lukhmi. It is always a great feeling to see people preparing their traditional food and serving them far away from their hometowns and carry the legacy forward. Lukhmi was the hot selling item in their menu and patrons used to flock for this delicacy. So what is Lukhmi? It is everything that can satisfy a true food connoisseur. It is a snack that has no comparison, It is spicy, tangy, lamb mince encased in flaky pastry, layered, crispy fried. Lukhmi is a bite sized snack, hence the name ‘Lukhmi’ derived from the word ‘Luqma’ meaning small bite. It is served as a starter in Hyderabad and specially during festive occasions.Hyderabadi cuisine has the rich legacy of the Nizams and deep influence of Turkish, Mughal and Arabic cultures. The cuisine is rich, refined and involves dishes that are meticulously prepared and served in their traditional style. Even the day to day food is prepared and served as if it is a work of art. When Hyderabadi cuisine is mentioned, the first thing that comes to the mind is the Hyderabadi biryani, but there is much more than that. There is a long list of recipes and dishes that are on the verge of extinction due to the modern and busy lifestyle and availability of other common food items in supermarkets. Once found on the table in almost every Irani Café, the flavoured mince meat stuffed starter is slowly disappearing. Dishes like Lukhmi, Shikampuri kebab, Sheer khurma are few of them Lukhmi might appear to be a variation of popular samosa, another stuffed and deep fried savoury pastry from the region but they differ greatly. The moment you bite into the crisp, fluffy, light pastry of Lukhmi you will realise it is a class of its own.The filling is traditionally made with lamb mince but you can also choose chicken or beef. Use as little oil as possible to cook the mince meat and cook till it is completely dry. Any excess liquid in the filling will make it difficult to prepare and pastry go soggy. When making lukhmi for Iftar or big gatherings, you can cook the minced meat ahead and freeze or refrigerate. You can also make the pastry dough in advance and refrigerate it covered with plastic wrap for a day or two. You can make your Lukhmi with your choice of meat like chicken, lamb or beef. Vegetable stuffing can also be prepared.Keema LukhmiServes 8IngredientsFor the Lukhmi PastryAll purpose flour 2 cupsSemolina ½ cupClarified butter 1/3 cupSalt to tasteWarm water 1 cupOil to deep fryFor fillingLamb mince 500 gmRed onion, chopped 1 no.Ginger garlic paste 2 tbspRed chili powder 1 tspCumin powder 1 tspCoriander powder 1 tspTurmeric powder ½ tspSalt to tasteLemon juice 2 tbspCoriander leaves, chopped ¼ cupMint leaves, chopped 1/2 cupGreen chili 2-3 no.Oil 2 tbspAccompanimentTamarind chutney to accompanyMint chutneyMethodTo prepare the filling for Lukhmi, heat oil in a heavy bottom pan over medium heatAdd chopped onions, till they are light brown, add ginger garlic paste and sauté for few minutesAdd all the spices and add the mince meat and stir to avoid burning the meatReduce the heat and add water if required, cover and cook the meat till fully cookedDrizzle lemon juice and ensure the mixture is dry, remove from flameSprinkle chopped coriander, mint and chopped green chili and keep asideFor the pastry, sift flour in a mixing bowlAdd semolina and salt, rub in clarified butter and add water graduallyMake a firm yet elastic dough, knead well to make the dough smooth, cover with plastic wrap and leave aside for 10 minutesDivide the dough into equal sized dough ballsFlour a work top, flatten a dough ball onto the work topRoll out a big, thin bread, brush clarified butter and dust flour and fold it like an envelope, roll againRepeat this process two more times, you can allow the dough to rest in refrigerator between each fold for about 10 invitesCut 3 inch square out of the rolled dough, place 1 tbsp of mince meat mixture in the centreBrush the sides with water, Cover with another square or turn half of the triangle over the other half to make a triangular pastryPress the edges with a dusted flour to seal the pastryRepeat for the remaining dough and prepared fillingHeat oil in a very deep bottom pan over medium heat and fry 204 prepared Lukhmis to the hot oil, fry till light golden and puffedDrain on a sieve to remove excess oil, serve hot immediately with mint chutney or tamarind chutneyNote: You can prepare the Lukhmi in advance and half fry them and then store them in freezer for later use. Just thaw them in microwave for a minute and then deep fry them to light golden brown colour.* Chef Tarun Kapoor,   Culinary Mastermind,  USA. He may be contacted at tarunkapoor83@gmail.com