Alfam

A lfam or Al Faham is a type of marinated, grilled chicken with origins in the Middle East. Faham means coal in Arabic and the chicken, after being marinated in rich Arabian spices, is grilled over coal or in an oven. The chicken is traditionally served with Bukhari or Kabsa rice, which is prepared with onions, chilly, raisins, carrots, chicken stock, tomatoes, and a variety of masalas. Sliced onions, lemon wedges, and arugula leaves accompany the rice and chicken as a side dish.

To make it, one needs chicken thighs, melted butter, and a few pieces of charcoal to cook it on. For the Bezar, an Arabian spice mix, combine cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon sticks, pepper, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, and coriander seeds. To cook, first marinate the chicken in turmeric powder, kashmiri red chilli powder, ginger garlic paste, lime juice, and salt. The second marination requires dousing the chicken pieces in a mixture of sour, hung yoghurt, chilli flakes, fenugreek leaves, and olive oil.

With the Middle East’s large Indian diaspora, the dish has travelled to India and become popular here, especially in Kerala and Mangalore. The chicken is normally marinated in bezar for three hours and then barbecued, resulting in an aromatic dish with each bite serving up a punch of flavour. It’s paired with mint chutney, pickled onions, and garlic aioli, and eaten with rumali rotis.