The Story Behind Sago's Signature Kebabs

Every restaurant has the dish that decides whether someone comes back. At Sago, that dish is the kebab platter.

We did not plan it that way. The kebabs were never meant to be the headline. They sit somewhere in the middle of the menu, between the chaats and the curries, and on the first menu drafts they were almost an afterthought. Two years in, they are the most reordered course in the restaurant.

This is the story of how that happened, and what actually goes into the four kebabs we serve.

Where the recipes came from

Our head of kitchen trained in a Lucknow kitchen that has been making kebabs the same way for four decades. That kitchen was the source for our galauti recipe. The murgh malai came from a chef who spent six years in a Delhi club kitchen during its peak years. The seekh, the most contested of the four, went through eleven test batches before we agreed on the spice ratio. The kakori arrived last, and we held it back from the menu for six months because we were not satisfied with the texture.

None of these are inventions. We are not interested in reinventing kebabs. The brief was simpler: cook them the way the cuisine asks for them to be cooked, and do not take shortcuts that make the kitchen's life easier at the diner's expense.

The galauti, in detail

The galauti is the kebab the cuisine is judged on. The texture should be soft enough that the kebab almost falls apart on the warm bread it is served on, but the seasoning has to be deep. Every bite should taste of the marinade as much as it tastes of the meat.

Ours uses lamb that is hand-minced rather than machine-ground. The difference is significant. Machine-grinding heats the meat and changes the protein structure. Hand-mincing keeps the fibres intact, which lets the kebab hold its shape on the tawa while still melting on the tongue.

The marinade has twenty-two ingredients. Most are spices you would recognise; a few are not. The kebab sits in the marinade for fourteen hours before it is cooked, and it is cooked on a low tawa, not over open flame, because galauti is not a grilled kebab in the way most people imagine kebabs.

The seekh, and the argument it caused

The seekh divided the kitchen for months. Half the team wanted a Lucknowi-style seekh, soft and fat-forward, cooked quickly over high heat. The other half wanted the Punjabi-style seekh that most Chandigarh diners grew up on. Firmer, smokier, with more visible char.

We tested both for guests over a six-week stretch and let the feedback decide. The Punjabi-style won, but only just. So that is what we serve, with a small concession to Lucknow in the spice mix.

The kakori, and what took six months

A good kakori has the texture of cold butter at room temperature. The meat is mixed with a small amount of papaya paste, which acts as a tenderiser without affecting the flavour. The grind has to be exact. Too coarse and it breaks on the skewer. Too fine and it becomes paste.

We spent six months getting the grind right. The bottleneck was sourcing. The lamb we initially bought had too much variance batch to batch. We now work with a single supplier who delivers six days a week, and the kakori has been stable ever since.

What you get on the platter

The Sago Kebab Platter is one of each. Galauti, murgh malai, seekh, kakori. With three accompaniments: a sheermal for the galauti, a green chutney we make every morning, and pickled onions cured in a vinegar mix we sharpen daily.

It is the most reordered course in the restaurant, and probably the easiest entry point for someone visiting for the first time. If you order it on a Tuesday or Wednesday, the kitchen will sometimes send out a fifth kebab on the house. We do not promise that, and we do not always do it, but if it happens you will know why.

The platter sits on the menu at ₹1,495 and serves two comfortably. Most tables order two of them.

If you want to book a table around the platter, the reservation form is the fastest way in.