If you love beef, kebab, and are in the capital of West Bengal, one place you must, must visit is Colootola, the kebab street of Calcutta. The area surrounding the biggest mosque of the city (the prayer hall has a capacity of 10,000 [source – Wikipedia]), Nakhoda Masjid, is paradise for beef lovers. From the early morning Nihari (served only during the winter from November to Februaray) to the Ramzan special Haleem or the everyday bhuna, paya, keema, the area from Nakhoda Masjid to Phears Lane offers a deliciously huge range of food.
Almost every eatery in this area serve kebabs. But in this series we will cover only few of the best. Most are hole in the wall shops, but when it comes to the food they serve, they can beat any big restaurant in this city.
Abdul Hamid’s Khiri Kebab
This small shop between Colootola Street (Maulana Shaukat Ali Street) and Zakaria Street, is famous for its khiri kebabs. Khiri kebabs, for the uninitiated, are made from cow’s udder or the mammary gland. Their unique chewy texture is what I like the most.
Kebabs being grilled
If you are standing on Rabindra Sarani / Chitpore Road facing Nakhoda Masjid, you should take the road to the right of the mosque which is Zakaria Street. After walking past the main entrance of the mosque on your left, take the first right. Keep your eyes fixed on the right footpath and soon you will see a man sitting on a bench, grilling kebabs on skewers in front of him. Welcome to the shop of Abdul Hamid.
Haji Abdul Hamid’s great-grandson
Currently run by the fourth generation, this shop was founded by Haji Abdul Hamid, and serves only two types of kebabs – khiri and gurda (made from the kidney of cows). While I love their khiris, personally I am not a fan of gurda kebabs. I have tried it on several occasions before deciding that this is not something that I will be able to like.
A plate each of khiri and gurda kebabs
Coming back to what they are famous for, a plate of khiri kebab costs only Rs 7/- (Gurda kebabs cost the same too). I would have loved the pieces to be more chunky, but the fact that they do not over-burn the meat, unlike some big restaurants, is the reason why I prefer having khiri kebabs here. Open from 12 noon to 10:30 PM (closed on Thursdays) this 80+ years old shop is a must visit if you love khiri kebabs, or would like to try it for the first time even.
Kebab skewers – the darker ones on left are the gurda kebabs
Acknowledgement
I am thankful to Indrajit Das for accompanying me on the walk and helping me gather information.
I really don’t know what to say but its fact I wont be writing blog without your supports. You are always my source of sustenance.
Have been meaning to visit for a long time. Looking at your pictures I am tempted to go right now. One question: how do the khiri kebabs compare to the one at Mughal Garden (Nizam)?
Those kebabs look really good! Are they marinated or dipped in a sauce like some sort of satay?
Even as a veggie, I must admit that these look absolutely yummie!!
I love kebabs. Those Khiri Kebabs look great.
Those kebabs look so good. I bet they are seasoned really well.
I love kebabs and looking at these pictures I am getting quite hungry and my sushi i am eating is looking very tasteless lol. Thanks for sharing
Yum those look really great! I haven’t had a good kebab in so long! Looking at this makes me hungry!
Although I am not a real fan of Beef Kebabs (I prefer Seafood or Chicken), your pics look great!
This is going on my bucket list! I love kebabs! (Actually I love all food!) The way you describe them and the pictures are making my mouth water! There is definitely a reason they’ve been around 80 + years!
I don’t eat meat but if I did, I’m sure I would love these! My husband loves kebabs.
They look good. Never tried them so I can’t say if I would like or not.
Kebabs are very tasty if seasoned right & cooked right & not over done. I like mine with lots of veggies.
These kebabs look amazing. My husband loves trying new kebabs when we travel. This looks like a great restaurant to check out, we love finding smaller restaurants when we travel to try out. Looks like a great local spot to eat.
I love kebabs! This looks really good. Thanks for sharing.I can’t wait to travel this year! Really want to go on a food journey.
These kebabs look amazing!! I love trying new food and this looks like a fun place to eat.
that’s awesome that this place has been passed down four generations! 🙂 would love to visit this place someday.
Now adding this to my bucket list! The Khiri looks yum!
I can practically smell those kabobs! They look absolutely amazing. I am a big fan of that style of food and would love to visit!
My kids like kebab’s. It is fun to try the different styles.
Wow, I don’t know where exactly that is on the cow, but I’m sure I’ve eaten more interesting pieces. It looks good though. But anything BBQ of course makes any food best.
I like kebabs and this one looks really tasty.
Can’t say I will be visiting there anytime soon. However I gotta say these kebabs look amazing! I want some now and I can’t and it’s only 5am lol. But this is def the kind of food, I would like to try if I ever visited there.
What amazing looking kebabs! I love how rustic they look, you get the true way the meat is supposed to be presented and cooked. I’d love to have some of these for dinner with some nice sauces and salad. Thanks for the meal inspiration!
Ooh, that looks yummy! My kids would love these 😉
This makes me want to taste the kebabs. Looks so tempting and delicious.
The kebabs look delicious! I’m feeling hungry here just by looking at the photos, but too bad I’m miles away.
It must be Khiri that I’m familiar of…I’ve not tasted cow’s kidney yet. I’ve been eating kebabs but I didn’t know there were different types of kebab
I do not eat meat. But, this would be a great recipe for my meat eating family!
Kebabs are great – especially when traveling and getting to try out different meats/seasonings. These look really flavorful and well-seasoned. Thanks for sharing and the great pictures!
Yumm! Kebabs are my favorite, I can’t wait for spring to start grilling again this will be the first thing I make!
Kebabs are served at our house a lot in the summer. We love to cook them outside on the grill. These looks really good!
You had me at “beef”. Haha! I’m such a beef-lover. Those kebabs look great. I’m craving now.
We love kebab! My husband and I would go on a 2hr drive just to eat on our favorite place
i haven’t try kebab food but i would love too!
This place looks very interesting! I like how they cook the Kebab.
Looks like authentic kebab, I can already taste the spices just looking at the photos
You know what, I’ve never really had a proper kebab like this! They look good though, proper food on the streets always tastes best!
That sure looks yummy. Looks like they seasoned it well. Yum!
These sticks of goodness look delicious. I love quintessential street food, and this hits par. The meat itself will be something new for me, and although I might turn my nose up to the sound of cow’s udder, I am always one for trying new things.
This is awesome. I love how it looks… I can’t wait to travel later this year and test out the cuisines of other cultures. Thanks for sharing.
I risk showing my ignorance here but I honestly thought that they didn’t eat beef in India due to the cow being sacred. After reading this I did some research and found that it is actually eaten by many people and only frowned upon in certain areas or by certain groups. I can say I learned something new today. Thanks!
Although India is a secular country, Hinduism is practiced by majority of the population. Cow is sacred for Hindus and hence a large percentage of Indians, who are Hindus, do not touch beef.
They look delicious!
Now I’m hungry! I love to try freshly made local food when I travel and I would definitely try these kebabs. Thanks for sharing
I would love to try these kebobs, they look so delicious! When I make to India one day I will be sure to look for these.
Those kabobs look amazing! You mention that Khiri is chewy — I would think so! Are they served with any sort of sauce?
Oh, I love kebab sooo much, I could eat kebab every day! On my lar trip to Istanbul last December I had kebab every day!
Although I’m not too sure that I would like some of these kebabs I wouldn’t say no to trying them! It’s always nice when you find somewhere that cooks food well and makes it delicious too!
Oef, that looks good! I was a vegetarian for over 1,5 years, but I love meat so much… And this looks yummy!
It is really tasty and spaciality is they grill on wooden stick
Still people remember the tast
Actually once they (Mr. Hmid great grandson Mr Shkeel Ahmed )made boti kabab in my sidter’s marriage
अद्भुत कबाब है शायद भारत मे इस तरह का कबाब यही पर मिलता है