History of the Tunday Kabab

On our trip to India this year, I was introduced to the Tunday kabab which is apparently a specialty of Lucknow. Lucknow is famous for its kababs and if the Tunday kabab is one of the more famous ones from there, it was hard not to go try it out. The Tunday kabab is a a flat pattie like kabab which is really soft and succulent. It is so soft its difficult to hold it in your fingers as it just falls apart. We got to sample this at the Tunday Kababi Restaurant in Bangalore, which is a branch of the restaurant from Lucknow. The kababs are  created into patties and fried in a shallow pool of oil, as you can see in the pictures. They are usually cooked on a large pan in large groups of 25+ patties. While eating at the restaurant we found an interesting story behind the origin of the Tunday Kabab. The story goes as follows - There was once a Nawab (royal family member) who really loved to have kababs, but as age caught up with him, he lost his teeth and was unable to enjoy the kababs. He apparently setup a contest that whoever created the softest and most succulent kababs would enjoy royal patronage henceforth. The secret recipe was created by Haji Murad Ali, who apparently had only one hand. In India, a person with a leg disability is called Langdey, while a person with a hand disability is called Tunday, hence the name Tunday Kabab. The secret recipe apparently has 160 spices (who knew there were 160 spices out there) including Sandalwood. The recipe is a family secret and is passed down to the generations by the ladies of the house.

Verdict : The kabab is definitely very tasty, soft and succulent but it was almost too soft for me. It was like eating a kheema curry than a kebab. For now,  I would probably prefer a sheek kabab over this, but someday in the future when I am older and toothless, maybe I will appreciate this kebab a little more.

A chef with one arm, a toothless royal and a legendary kebab. Who could have dreamt that? Almost fictional huh?

Tunday Kababs are available at

Tunday Kababi
479 5th Block, KHB Colony (near Krishna Temple)
Koramangala
Phone - 97315 53030.

Read more: History of the Tunday Kabab

Where to buy Indian fish in Flushing NY?

If you love Indian fish then you have probably experienced the frustration of not finding popular Indian fishes like Pomfret or King fish in your local grocery stores. The local American grocery stores in the US typically sell Salmon, Catfish or Tilapia which are not found in India. Fish is a large part of our family diet and we are always on the lookout for good fish.  Flushing has a diverse international population with a lot of expats with Asian and Indian backgrounds and we were fortunate enough to find a grocery store chain called H-Mart. H-Mart is a Korean store and has a wonderful seafood section where you can find good selection of Indian fish such as the Black Pomfret, White Pomfret, Kingfish, Mackerel. The entire store is extremely clean and well lit.  The seafood section has fresh fish, shrimp, crabs and lobster as well. Besides buying seafood, its a great store to do your regular grocery.

The Flushing area has three stores.

Northern Blvd

Address : 141-40 Northern Blvd, Flushing NY 11354

Telephone :718.358.0700

Hours : 24 Hours

Union Blvd

Address : 29-02, Union St, Flushing NY 11354

Telephone :718.454.5656

Hours :8 AM - 11 PM

156 Northern Blvd

Address : 141-40 Northern Blvd, Flushing NY 11354

Telephone :718.888.0005

Hours :8 AM - 11 PM

If you are unable to travel to Flushing, then you may be able to find the fish in your local Indian grocery stores but you will only find frozen fish. We have typically been disappointed with the fish in the Indian grocery stores as we are not sure when it was packed. 

The Indian Food & Grocery section of the website has a list of such stores. The site currently has over 2000 Indian food & grocery stores listed in the United States. If you think one of the stores has incorrect data or if you have a new store you would like listed, please do contact us. We would greatly appreciate it, if you would provide a review of these stores.

Where to buy Indian fish in Portland OR?

If you love Indian fish then you have probably experienced the frustration of not finding popular Indian fishes like Pomfret or King fish in your local grocery stores. The local American grocery stores in the US typically sell Salmon, Catfish or Tilapia which are not found in India. Fish is a large part of our family diet and we are always on the lookout for good fish.  H-Mart is a Korean store and has a wonderful seafood section where you can find good selection of Indian fish such as the Black Pomfret, White Pomfret, Kingfish, Mackerel. The entire store is extremely clean and well lit.  The seafood section has fresh fish, shrimp, crabs and lobster as well. Besides buying seafood, its a great store to do your regular grocery.

The Potland area has one store in Tigard

Address : 13600 SW Pacific Hwy, Tigard, OR 97233

Telephone :503.620.6120

Hours : 9 AM - 10 PM

If you are unable to travel to Tigard, then you may be able to find the fish in your local Indian grocery stores but you will only find frozen fish. We have typically been disappointed with the fish in the Indian grocery stores as we are not sure when it was packed. 

The Indian Food & Grocery section of the website has a list of such stores. The site currently has over 2000 Indian food & grocery stores listed in the United States. If you think one of the stores has incorrect data or if you have a new store you would like listed, please do contact us. We would greatly appreciate it, if you would provide a review of these stores.