Get your chops right

One wherethe multi-cuisine chef gives way to the untrained but instinctive cook, theavant garde DJ is replaced by the once ubiquitous ‘two-in-one’ andwhere pure gastronomy takes centre stage and the city’s auto driversprefer the back seat.The alleys come to life at dusk and wind down just before dawn. And in the hours between, kababs, rolls and a host of other desi delicacies play host. One such bustling alley, Shivajinagar’s Broadway Street, just off Russell market has a string of street vendors, who with their limited menu of kababs, soups and rolls, take over all of a food lover’s senses. This food will suit a connoisseur, of the pure non-vegetarian variety with a voracious appetite for meat and a stomach made out of tungsten.The food on offer here ranges from the truly uniqueGreen Chops and the Nalli Soup to the regular range of kababs. For those whowince at the sight of red meat, there is a range of chicken kababs, rolls andfish, which are also hot favourites among the regulars here. The sights andsmells might seem alike for the uninitiated. However, each vendor has his ownsecret recipe, which is never shared.Barkathullah Quraish, who runsone of the most popular stalls in the area, says, “Our raw materials aremore or less the same but you will not get my masalas at any other stall.”He adds that the others too guard their recipes very closely.Aregular on the street, Chandesh, says that there is no better place in the city.“The taste, the quantity and the fresh meat is unparalleled to anythingthat you get in Bangalore. I especially love the Green Chops and NalliSoup,” he says. Barkathullah, joins in “Once you have our GreenChops, there is no going back. You come here once and you keep coming here forlife.”500 grams minced meat10 pods garlic, 1tsp cumin, 4 cardamoms, 1 cinnamontwigBlack peppercorns, 4 red chillies, green chilliesGram dal paste(soaked and ground)1 onion (finely chopped), ginger2 eggs (wellbeaten)Boilmeat till tender with salt and grind to a fine pasteGrind garlic,cumin, cardamoms, cinnamon, peppercorns, red chillies, ginger and gram dal.Mix both the pastes and add eggs and make into a consistentdough.Add chillies and onions to the dough and make small roundballs and fry till golden brown in oil. Serve hot with chutney.