Welcome to the first installment of “Dr. B’s Blog.” I hope that you will enjoy the explanations, history and my thoughts of the many dishes we serve at Calcutta Wrap and Roll.

I will start by talking about the “Chicken Sheekh Kebab.” Kebabs are generally pieces of meat either cooked in a special clay oven, a Tandoor, or on a flat steel plate (Tawa), or fried in a skillet. Kebabs are generally named after the process by which they are cooked / the area of the country they were developed in / the shape of the kebab / the area of the part the meat was taken from / the texture and marination used in the preparation of the kebab.

It is called Sheekh Kebab because minced meat is wrapped around an iron skewer and cooked over an open fire in a special clay oven called the Tandoor. The word for skewer is “sheekh” and hence the name.

The beauty of the Sheekh Kebab is not only that it cooks very fast because of the extreme high temperatures in the Tandoor but also because the Sheekh gets heated too, cooking the Kebab from the inside, as well.

Every Indian restaurant that has a Tandoor makes Sheekh Kebabs. Look for the subtle tastes of the different spices used (each use their own special blends), the soft texture, and how moist they are.
As these kebabs are cooked without oil, on high heat and over an open flame, there is no fat in the Kebabs. The fat just drips off, leaving just the spiced meat.
Sheekh Kebabs are usually served as appetizers with drinks. Using or not using a sauce with it, is optional.