The Monsoon Kebab dish at Monsoon India goes well beyond your typical meat on a stick experience. There are many subtle specialities that give the Monsoon Kebab ($19.95) its appealing flavor. The dish combines a host of assorted delicacies including chicken tikka, lamb boti and jumbo shrimp. The marinade and preparation of the kebabs that chef Sugam Kuinkel creates includes a balanced barrage of spices, as well as a distinct patience in the way the lamb, poultry and shrimp are cooked.
“Everything is marinated for 24 hours in a yogurt base with nine different spices including cumin powder, paprika, bay leaf and cinnamon powder,” says Kuinkel, who was a cook in Dubai and Nepal for five years before moving to Hawaii.
“Many other restaurants only use a few spices, but we like to use a whole variety of spices that are imported from India. We use a Northern Indian way of cooking. It is healthier and lighter.”
After marinating, the meat is cooked in a clay tandoor oven at a 400 degree heat.
“The flavor, the aroma comes from the clay oven, giving the dish its special, smokey flavor,” Kuinkel adds.
Served on a bed of sauteed green peppers and onions, the dish is drizzled with lemon, and touched with a dash of salt and pepper. Recently Monsoon India has begun serving the dish on a sizzling skillet, helping to keep the flavors warm throughout your meal. Served with mint and tamarind chutney, Monsoon Kebabs make a healthy meal of spice and savor.
Monsoon India
- Where
- Discovery Bay Center
- 1778 Ala Moana Boulevard
- Honolulu, HI 96815
- Call
- (808) 941-5111
- Hours
- Lunch daily 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- Dinner daily 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.
- Sunday Brunch Buffet 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
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