Charcoal Grill / Brazier

The sikaiya (or sigri) is the engine of Pakistan's legendary street kebab culture — the rectangular or cylindrical charcoal grill over which seekh kebabs, boti, and tikkas are cooked on long flat iron skewers. Good sikaiya operators manage their charcoal with skill: fanning to increase heat for a quick sear, tamping ash over coals to reduce heat for slow-cooking. Roadside sikaiya stalls in Lahore, Karachi, and Peshawar operate from late afternoon into the night, the smoke and aroma drawing customers from blocks away. Winter evenings around a sikaiya are a Pakistani social institution.