Picture this: on a searing afternoon in Bhopal some time in the 19th century, a one-armed man stands in the royal kitchen, pounding a velvety lump of meat. He infuses it with more than 100 herbs and spices, then marinates it in papaya paste for hours, letting the fruit’s enzymes tenderise it to the core. Now, his good arm smashes down on the blob, again and again, until flesh and spice are one. When he introduces this meat and hot grease in a cast-iron pan, the aromatic sizzle draws a royal courtier by the nose. He tastes the patty and is blown away! That night, the Nawab of Bhopal is treated to this succulent creation, and a legend is born.

Haji Murad Ali’s kababs may have never left Nawab Wajid Ali Shah’s kitchen but for the fortuitous end to his dynasty. After the Nawabi era ended, Ali left Bhopal for Lucknow in 1905, taking with him the secret recipe that would come to define the city itself. He set up a tiny stall beside Tehsin Ali Khan Masjid and began tossing up kabab after luscious kabab. Word spread faster than the aroma wafting off his griddle, and soon, Lucknow locals were lining up before this one-armed person, or ‘tunda’, as such a person was called. Murad Ali’s descendants are still enjoying the fruits of his skill, and to return from Lucknow without eating at Tunday Kababi is considered sacrilege.

The tall, elegant man sitting before me on the lawns of JW Marriott Hotel New Delhi Aerocity is Haji Murad Ali’s grandson. Dressed in a flowing chikan kurta with a matching cap, Mohammad Usman is here to treat the capital to Tunday’s famous kababs. A man of few words, all he will have you know is that his kababs are composed of precisely 125 ingredients and are still marinated in raw papaya to give the meat its melt-in-the-mouth tenderness. “Back in my grandfather’s days, the royals led a life of excess—rich food, heavy drinking and even drugs. As a result, they lost their teeth and ruined their gut early in life, but they couldn’t bear to live without their gourmet delicacies. That’s how Ustadji thought up the galawati kabab; it travelled smoothly down the gullet, was easy to digest, and tasted divine.”

Today, Usman’s mother personally supervises the mixing of the spices in a closed room. His octogenarian father, Haji Raees Ahmad, is still the hardest working member of the family. Though they also serve biryani, korma and tikka, it is their signature galawati and boti kababs, served with roomali roti or Mughlai parantha, that draw the crowds. Imitators have sprung up in Lucknow and beyond, but Usman dismisses them with a casual swipe of the hand. “Men cook food, but it’s the Almighty who puts the flavour in the salt,” he declares.

Royal staff poured water from leather mashaks into silver bowls to give commoners a taste of luxury. Royal staff poured water from leather mashaks into silver bowls to give commoners a taste of luxury.



This quiet confidence can only belong to a man who inhaled kababi smoke with his first breath. “As a child, I witnessed Lucknow in its golden period. You may have seen glimpses of that glory in old films such as Chaudhvin ka Chand and Palki,” he reminisces. Come dusk, and the entire stretch of street from their shop on the chowk to Akbari Gate would be cordoned off to celebrate the legendary Shaam-e-Awadh. The glamorous tawaifs of Lucknow appeared in the balconies, and the scent of roses filled the air. Royal staff poured water from leather mashaks into silver bowls to give commoners a taste of luxury. “In those days, even the dal in the Nawab’s kitchen was seasoned with asharfis (gold nuggets), known to bestow strength upon men,” says Usman.

So where does this master of taste go when he craves some street food in Lucknow?

Rahim Ke Nihari Kulche, Tulsidas Marg, Chowk

Started in 1890 by Haji Abdur Raheem Saheb, this dhaba-style restaurant is famous for its kulche nihari, paaya, sheermal, kakori kabab, pasande, seekh kabab and kheer.

Raja Ki Thandai, Kasturba Market

This no-fuss stall serves thandai in two sizes: big and small. Flavoured with saffron, dried fruit, spices and herbs, this milk cooler is a Lucknow bestseller.

Royal Café, Hazrat Ganj

Locals flock to Royal Café for coffee, conversation and its famous basket chaat. Founded in 1991 with just 80 covers, the restaurant is now a popular chain.

Prakash Ki Kulfi, Aminabad Road

Started in 1965, this kulfi shop is another Lucknow icon. Though they serve a whole range of flavours, including butterscotch, chocolate and strawberry, it’s the dry-fruit-flecked kulfi-falooda that you should go for.