Preparing chapli kebabs is a hands-on affair. Ovals of seasoned ground meat — beef, in this instance — are rounded into shape, then pressed down on an oversized, tilted frypan. Only when the kebabs are flipped, then withdrawn from the sputtering oil, does a spatula come into play. Though the younger fellow who prepared my kebab was standing at his station, many veterans seem to prefer working right up close.
The loose texture of a chapli kebab enables the experienced diner to tear off a piece with the right hand (and only the right hand), then match it to a corresponding shred of warmed flatbread, perhaps sandwiching a bit of dressed green salad in between. The inexperienced diner may need several attempts before he can fashion a mouthful worthy of a photo.
For more chow, see the EIT page on Facebook.
Pakistani Independence Day Mela
Coney Island Ave. near Ave H, Kensington, Brooklyn
(The 2016 mela took place on August 20)
