BBQ with a Sigdi

All those who know me, know that my kind of fun is different – I’d rather be home on a Friday night and cook something nice for my family than be hopping all over the place. So last Friday, I did something I’d been planning for quite a while – a bbq at home!

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a huge fan of all things smoked – it’s something about the warm, rustic smell of charcoal and the charred look that makes makes it so desirable. Living in an apartment, the only kind of grilling I was used to was on a grill pan – just the stripes on the meat but not the smoky flavour. Only recently did I discover that my gradmum owned a traditional sigdi! And she was generous enough to part with it.

The sigdi is something that was used when people didn’t cook with gas. This is still the case in villages where coal and wood are a major source of fuel. You can also find them on the city streets where the hawkers grill some sweet corn. But off late it’s usually used by those folks who use it for keeping their goodies warm while the coals burn very slowly. Or in restaurants where they keep stuff warm in the buffet section. When my mom was younger, they used it for cooking almost everything – she said she used to make some very nice rotis on the coals.

The sigdi was quite rusted for it hadn’t been used for a long, long time. I had to get it cleaned and oiled before I could use it and it looked as good as new. Well almost.

So how does the sigdi work? We simply have to lay the coals on the rack and ignite them from below – some coir or newspaper should be enough to get things started. At this point things get quite smoky, so it’s best to keep all the windows open. Next, just wait for the coals to get red hot. Fanning the coals through the tiny door helps. Now you’re ready to lay the skewers on the hot coals.

So while mum fanned the sigdi and the sis skewered the meats and vegetables I just did the turning bit (I suddenly sound like the super lazy Nigella!). In my defense, I put together some chicken, button mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, baby corn, zucchini and paneer together for a nice family dinner.

For the Chicken and paneer skewers
3 chicken breasts, cubed
2 tsp paprika/red chilli powder
3 tbsp yoghurt
A handful of chopped mint
Salt

Rest of the vegetable: I simply chopped the vegetables and sprinkled a good amount of some lemon pepper salt.

This was so delicious, I didn’t really miss having some sides or salads. All in all, a fun experience.

PS: Sorry about the dull photos. I was just too excited about the bbq to take multiple shots. I promise you, the real thing is a lot better!