Buffalo meat shortage changes taste of Tunday’s famous galouti kebabs, sales down by 80%

The century-old iconic eatery in Lucknow has been selling kebabs made of chicken and goat meat after it reopened earlier this month. Customers say it’s ‘majboori ke kebab’.

Tunday Kababi has five branches in Lucknow and the oldest one is located in Chowk area | File pic | By special arrangement

Lucknow: When Tunday Kababi, Lucknow’s iconic eatery, resumed business earlier this month after remaining shut for nearly 80 days, its kebabs didn’t taste the same anymore.

The 115-year-old eatery’s signature melt-in-mouth galawati kebab or galouti kebab made of minced buffalo meat are now being made with chicken or goat meat because of a shortage of buffalo meat in Uttar Pradesh.

Buffalo meat, locally known as ‘bade ka maas’, hasn’t been available ever since the Covid lockdown came into effect on 25 March, following which all slaughterhouses downed their shutters.

Mohammad Rizwan, owner of the shop located at Chowk area in ​the state capital, told ThePrint because of non-availability of bade ka maas, they are forced to sell kebabs made of chicken and mutton.

“Many of our old customers are still asking for the famous galawati kebab but we are offering them kebabs of chicken and mutton only. As of now, we do not know when the buffalo meat will again be available in Lucknow, but until then it is our compulsion to sell kebabs made of chicken and mutton,” he added.

Sales have dipped by 80-85%

Rizwan said non-availability of buffalo meat has had a huge impact on sales, which has dipped by 80-85 per cent.

“The biggest and most important reason (for dipping sales) is not being able to sell kebabs of buffalo meat, which is still in high demand. This apart, sales have dipped as we are now offering only take-away option due to Covid,” he added.

On galawati kebab, Rizwan said the reason it is named ‘galawati’ is because it melts as soon as it enters one’s mouth. He added that running the shop without selling galawati kebabs is like having a body without hands.

He said he uses the same recipe of galawati kebab to make chicken and mutton kebabs, but still the taste is not the same. He also said he has never shared the recipe of galawati kebab with anyone.

Tunday Kababi has five branches in Lucknow and the oldest shop is located in the Chowk area.

Mohammad Usman, Rizwan’s brother, who also looks after the kebab business, said the prices of kebabs have gone up as chicken and mutton are being sold at high rates.

“Earlier, one tikki (rounded piece of kebab) used to cost Rs 3, but now it is being sold at Rs 6. This is because, prior to the lockdown, chicken used to cost Rs 170-180 per kg. But now, chicken is being sold at Rs 240 per kg and mutton is as high as Rs 750-800 per kg,” he said. 

Usman said this is also the first time in 115 years that Tunday Kababi shops remained closed for about three months. 

According to Usman, the tradition of galawati kebab in Lucknow was started 115 years ago by his great grand-father Haji Murad Ali aka Tunday Mian. This is why the shop was named after ‘Tunday’.

‘Majboori ke kebab’

Devendra Kumar, a resident of Chowk area, told ThePrint the real Lucknowi kebab means only the galawati kebab.

“We are not getting any real kebabs. My friends call kebabs made of chicken and mutton as ‘majboori ke kebab’,” he said.

Mohammed Imran, a resident of Hussainganj, said he felt extremely let down when he visited the shop and found out that it was selling chicken kebab instead of buffalo meat kebab.

“I fully concur with those who are describing chicken kebabs as ‘majboori ke kebab’,” he added.