STREET MEATS
Meat on the street stalls of India can be a frightening thing. Remember that there is a general absence of refrigeration and so cold meats and cooked meats are not arrayed to sit and beckon customers. There are instead a number of factors that are important on the street meat stalls of the East.
Firstly, the marinade is critical. I know this is a pain, but it is so important that you get as many loud, aromatic spices in there as possible. This is really not a place for subtle spicings and restraint. The fish can take a lighter hand, but still you will see that I use the power of English mustard paste to do some of the tenderising legwork. Be brave and tweak these spicings to your taste. If you love cinnamon, add more in. In the Mowgli restaurants I keep chilli to a sane minimum, so do add more chilli powder if you are a heat junkie. This is the place that this kind of recklessness in rubs is entirely appropriate.
Strong marinades containing hugely aromatic garam masala spices along with pungent onion and garlic pastes all play a critical role in tenderising and, to some small extent, preserving the meat. The acids in these ingredients begin to break the meat down and prepare it for the power of the spices.
The aromatic acids within the spices can then penetrate and thoroughly perfume the meat and fish. Spices like cinnamon, cloves, cumin and cardamom all contain aromatic oils that help keep the meat smelling fresh and enticing as it softens in the marinade.
The cooking methods on these street stalls are typically fierce and uncompromising. The tandoor oven reaches extremely high heats that cook meat quickly and evenly. Charcoal grills are small and portable, and kick out a good heat for steaming fish in banana leaves.
Deep frying is the favourite mode of street food cooking. The oil plunge is the greatest safeguard against undercooked meat at the roadside kitchens. My mother would say all that is rank or dubious is burned away in the fizz of the oil. Not sure about that, but it is true that the bhaji is the baron of the pavement picnic.