Join us on this week’s episode of Cheap Eats on Dubai 92 where our co-founder, Farida Ahmed, shares her experience of Dhaga Kabab, a kabab so tender, it needs a thread to stay on the skewer.
What’s This Week’s Cheap Eat?
The Dhaga kabab is a flavorful blend of beef, garam masala, green chilies, garlic, ginger, and a few other spices. But the secret to its melt-in-your-mouth tenderness lies in the raw papaya and brown onions. After being grilled over charcoal, the smoky and spicy kabab hits the table, and as soon as you unravel the thread, the kabab just slides off like a savory meaty paste.
You can pair it with chapati and enjoy it with the raita they give you on the side. At the Daily Restaurant, a plate of three Dhaga Kababs costs only 16 dirhams, and a chapati costs 1 dirham 50 fils which is a great deal for such a satisfying snack.
You can find the location of The Daily Restaurant on Google here.
Watch our Reel to See What Their Dhaga Kabab looks like
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Tune In
Tune in to the segment using this audio recap or check out the transcript below.
Transcript
Nats:
It’s Dubai 92, you’re with Jono and Nats that’s on the big breakfast and it’s your Wednesday which means we get to do this.
Jono:
To tantalize our tastebuds this morning and send us off to someplace that is both scrumptious and also gonna be friendly in your pocket is Farida from Frying Pan Adventures. Farida, happy Wednesday. Welcome back to the show once again. How are you?
Farida:
Thank you thank you. Happy Wednesday to both of you, Nats and Jono.
Nats:
We’re very excited about what you’ve got in store for us. Give us the deets.
Farida:
I’m excited. So, you know, four years ago, one of our regular tour guests, Amber Mirza, took me to the Daily Restaurant, the branch in Qusais Nahda. I mean, they have branches in Karama, I think one in International City. And she introduced me to something called the Dhaga Kabab. Four years later, I made the visit finally last week and I was not disappointed. So Dhaga is the Hindi/Urdu word for thread. So literally thread kebab and this kebab is so soft, it’s so squishy that the only way to keep it on the skewer is by tying a thread around it.
Nats:
Wow!
Jono:
No way! So this meat literally is just melting in your mouth when you consume it then?
Farida:
It is, it is. And you know, like I keep telling everyone who I’ve spoken to after having eaten there, you can leave your teeth at home for this kebab. You don’t need your teeth.
Nats:
Amazing.
Farida:
Okay. And they allowed me into the kitchen so I could see how he makes the kebab and he’s using his fingers to get the soft meet on the skewers And then he just spins the skewer and the thread just, it’s magical, it just wraps around it. And the kebab itself, it’s smoky. It’s spicy, it’s juicy, and impossibly tender. It’s made with beef, there’s garam masala that goes into it, there’s green chillies, there’s garlic, there’s ginger. And then he told me that the secret to keeping it so moist and soft is the green papaya. He emphasized it has to be the raw papaya and not one that is very ripe. And he also emphasized not raw onions, but brown onions. And when this kebab hits the table, you basically have to undress it. You have to unravel the thread and the meat just slides down into this pasty gloop. And they give you raita on the side. I paired mine with a chapati as well and I was in heaven.
Nats:
Oh my goodness now. I wanted to know what kind of bread pairing you had with that but that chapati will definitely do it for me. And you know Farida, you’re new to banned words on this show so, just because we love you so much and everything you genuinely, you know, tantalize our taste buds with every single week. I’m gonna let you go without a yellow card today, but should you ever use the ‘M’ word again, you know, the one that starts with the letter ‘M’ and ends with ‘oist.’ Honestly, it’ll be like, game over. Just saying.
Jono:
Now we know for the future. Hey, by the way, how much is this going to cost us, Frida? How much is it?
Farida:
So a plate that contains 3 dhaga kabab goes for 16 dirhams.
Jono:
Oh, wow. That is so cheap.
Nats:
What! For three Kababs
Farida:
Yeah, the chapati set me back 1 dirham 50 fils.
Nats:
I am there for that.
Jono:
Wow. Go deep pockets for this one. This is great. That is amazing. Farida, as always, it’s a pleasure to catch up with you. Frying Pan Adventures, check them out on Instagram because they also run some food tours, which are next level. And we’re getting back into the season to do stuff outdoors again.
Nats:
Exactly. With the weather being so nice, you do not want to miss out on these food tours and you get to eat all sorts of things like the food that she just described and then some.
Jono:
Thank you. Farida, and we’ll speak to you guys next week.
Farida:
Thank you. Take care.
Find out where to find Scrumptious South Indian Fish Curry Meal in Dubai here.
Arva Ahmed is the co-founder of Frying Pan Adventures, Dubai’s first food tour company, and a celebrated food explorer known for uncovering Dubai’s hidden culinary gems. Her expertise in the city’s diverse food scene has been featured in prominent publications such as CNN, Khaleej Times, BBC Travel, The Sun, The Independent and countless more. She also hosts Ditch the Silver on YouTube. Through her immersive tours and storytelling, Arva brings Dubai’s rich flavors and vibrant cultures to life.
