How to Indianise a hot dog

ONE, THE US has a "National hot dog and sausage council". Two, that council has just come up with this brilliant piece of statistic "" Americans consumed an estimated 150 million hot dogs this July 4.

Now, if you are deeply affronted by the fact that we don't have our very own butter chicken association, or biryani body "" since chicken consumption seems to be on the wane anyway "" take heart. We are all global citizens and official councils notwithstanding, each one of us has as much of a right to a hot dog as any Mid Westerner.

Chef Tirath at Delhi's India Habitat Centre would probably agree. Every year, the chef holds an enormously successful hot dog promotion devoted to Delhiites tired of chewing on the more-bread-than-meat insipid routine that cineplexes in the city offer.

Tirath's, by contrast, are the real thing "" that is if you can call any hot dog real. After all, it is just a sausage in a bun (with a dash of mustard), and the toppings and relish can all be left up to your own imagination.

Grilled onions (sweeten them with a little sugar) are all-time favourites and there is nothing simpler that you can do at home than brown them in a little oil. Cut up some cheese, add some strips of bacon and you have a classic. Or try a topping of baked beans like Chef Tirath has done this time in what he calls the "beenie weanie".

If you are the kind who doesn't mind a chana pizza, go Indian with leftover keema curry instead of chilli corn carne. And, hey, instead of a ranch dressing, or bbq sauce, anything out of a bottle (though do try a yakitori dressing), save a few rupees and buy some samosa chutney from the local halwai. Crush some crisps and the kiddies will probably like it.

But a hot dog is nothing without the frankfurter. It is the frankfurter "" the buns were added later, till the late 19th century German immigrants were still selling dachshund sausages (named after the dog breed because of their shape) from pushcarts in America.

The buns were added later so as not to get hands dirty and the concoction was only christened a hot dog in 1901 when a sports cartoonist, who, in typical American fashion couldn't spell dachshund, drew a caricature of a biting sausage and called it a "hot dog"!

But back to the sausage "" typically you can either cook it in boiling water (please refrain) or grill it and people have even invented a toaster than can toast not just the bun but also the sausage. But a hot dog just doesn't taste right if it isn't grilled "" to make things more interesting, you can insert cheddar (or blue cheese), parsley and garlic butter into the gashes.

Are the vegetarians feeling left out? This year, Chef Tirath has a vegetarian selection as well. If you've got over the shock from the oxymoron, here's the recipe: Take some soya mince, add sauted onions, garlic and any herb you have at home.

Add (very little) boiled and mashed potatoes to bind. Shape these like a sausage, dip in egg white (or besan ghol), roll it in a mixture or bread crumbs and white oats and deep fry. Yes, in a karahi. Like I said, we Indians have an equal right to the hot dog!