Dhungar method - smoky charcoal flavour on your meat for people without a BBQ. Yummy.

JackieChang

I tried the Indian dhungar method today to get a just-off-the-bbq taste on some pan fried meat. I don't have a BBQ nor my own garden, and I am really missing that smoky charcoal taste.

The jist:

You heat up a piece of charcoal until glowing / a bit ashy (I used a chefs blowtorch)

Place it in a small metal container (I used a little cup fashioned out of tin foil. Some people use a piece of onion)

Place the container in the pan with your meat (NOT RAW MEAT! Should be cooked or at least close to fully cooked)

Put a few drops of oil directly on the piece of charcoal - it will start to smoke immediately. I used regular rapeseed oil. Indian folks use ghee.

Quickly over the pan with a tight lid to keep the smoke in. Wait for a few minutes. I waited 4 minutes.

Uncover the pan - there might be some smoke remaining. I opened the pan out the window.

Serve.

F***ing delicious.

I used this method with mince kofte kebabs.

Note:

Try and use natural lumpwood charcoal. Not those round briquettes, or charcoal that's laced / pre-treated in lighter fluid (like the stuff in disposable bbqs). Whie waiting for the smoke flavour to infuse the meat, the meat may get overcooked. Probably need to experiment with timing. I need to experiment more with this. Maybe take the pan off the heat while you're doing it.


For those of you who don't have a BBQ but really miss that flavour, you need to try this out.

Here's a youtube video of the method : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-qGZ8TDnUM

And here's an article about it: https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/dhungar-method-smoky-ghee-article