THE SHAKINAH TAKEAWAY

Time spent in the kitchen is never wasted, but there are days when life calls for you to step away from the pots and pans, and let someone else bring the feast to the table. Shakinah is just a ride away from your door in Malta, and our partnership with Wolt ensures that you get to relish our sublime menu wherever you are on the island. Our food is carefully packaged to preserve the flavours and textures that emerge from our kitchen, so that you don’t get to miss out on the Shakinah experience when it comes to good eating. Here are some of our most popular takeaway dishes which can make it to your table:

Onion Bhaji – Start your takeaway on a good note. Our onion bhaji is deconstructed for sharing purposes, and it makes for the perfect primary nibble in front of the TV. We like to pair it with our crispy chicken pakora for a greater assortment of takeaway treats.

 

Saffron Tikka – Luxury can be delivered to your door, including one of the most opulent spices in the world. Our saffron tikka is a visual treat, whether it’s served at our restaurant or in the comfort of your own home. These are jewellesque pieces of chicken in a golden hue, giving off that trademark saffron aroma the minute you unveil your dish. To complement the mellow yet husky flavour of saffron, we amp up the experience with a good helping of chilli and coriander.

Raita – To help you temper any heat, we recommend a side of raita. This divine and silky mixture of yoghurt is textured with cucumber, tomatoes and onion to keep your palate fresh and cleansed. Feel free to mix in a spoonful or two into fiery sauces; it’s a best friend to those who can’t always handle the heat!

Paneer Tikka – Cheese is always a good idea, and our dairy is certainly not boring. We present thick slabs of Indian cottage cheese marinated in our blend of spices, then cooked in our tandoori oven for its final red hue. This is an unctuous dish that keeps you coming back for more.

Chicken Korma – It would be rude to leave out this classic from your order. Our bestseller makes it out the door with good reason. Our chicken korma is nutty and sumptuous, dispelling all those myths that kormas are a dull affair. Enjoy succulent chicken pieces in a rich and creamy cashew nut sauce – the perfect comfort food after a long day’s work.

Chicken Tikka Lababdar – If you’re looking for something that’s slightly saucier than a korma, but want to try something else other than a butter chicken or tikka masala, we highly recommend our chicken tikka lababdar. This is a velvety tomato-based curry enhanced with luscious ginger and a selection of mild spices. It’s a dish which you’ll find on a road less travelled, but it’s certainly a pleasant surprise and a new-found favourite among those who order it.

Don’t forget your sides – Rice and naan must find their way into your takeaway bag. How else are you going to mop up your curry sauce? For variety and contrast, we recommend a side of garlic naan as well as coconut naan to suit all palates. A portion or two of pilau rice is always recommended, and you don’t have to worry about leftovers – rice rests so well in your fridge, and makes for a quick and exciting lunch the next day.

Our Top 5 Indian Dishes for this Month

The Best 5 Indian Dishes this Month

We know we shouldn’t have favourites, but at Shakinah, we do have a few star attractions that never fail to please. From our celebrated Chicken Tikka Masala to our sizzling Tandoori platter, Indian staples will always feature on our menu. Nonetheless, our mission is to make these dishes as memorable as they are irresistible, which is why we go the extra mile to make them authentically our own. From sourcing the finest ingredients to our team’s mise en place, we’re committed to honour as well as elevate classic Indian dishes.

Our Best Indian Dishes

Here are some of our personal recommendations for your next visit: 

Chicken Tikka Masala

chicken tikka masala

No Indian menu is complete without this much-loved dish. Although its origins have been widely disputed, many agree that it had first made an appearance in Great Britain in the 1970s through the South Asian community. However, food critic Rahul Verma believes it to be a relatively modern Punjabi dish, not more than 50 years old. There’s no fixed standard to its recipe, but a mild and creamy tomato sauce is the common denominator of this dish. Shakinah’s tikka masala is crimson to the core, with a sauce that envelopes tender pull-apart chunks of chicken marinated in yoghurt and masala spices. Although rather on the mild side, our version will guarantee you a light but fun kick at the back of the throat.

Onion Bhaji

onion baji

Everything tastes better in batter, but the flaky crusting that only an onion bhaji can offer takes battered food to a whole new level. Although it’s a popular starter in most Indian restaurants, it is in fact regarded as a street food snack across the Indian continent, and often prepared for celebrations and special events. Its distinct light fritter batter is made from gram flour, encasing strips of shredded onion which are then shaped into a ball. However, Shakinah offers a more deconstructed version of the onion bhaji. We serve it spiralised and spread out across an oblong plate, and since our batter is not overpowered by too many spices, the onion does most of the talking. And believe us, there is onion in this bhaji.

Chicken Korma

chicken korma

Possibly the most requested Indian dish in the Western world, the korma has had a long journey since its beginnings in the 16th century. It is typically defined by its very mild flavour and thick sauce; a curry for all seasons. Unfortunately, there are some who are quick to snub this dish due to its lack of performance on the Scoville scale. But let’s not forget that Indian cuisine isn’t just about heat. It’s also about umami, and our chicken korma defies the bland stereotype. Although there are plenty of variations of the korma, Shakinah goes for the quintessential presentation, but with a vengeance. With melt-in-the-mouth chunks of tender chicken, our blend presents a luscious nutty and buttery sunshine yellow sauce, muscled by whole cashew nuts, yoghurt and coconut cream. The chicken korma is certainly our dark horse.

Tandoori King Prawns

Tandoori King Prawns

Without a doubt, Shakinah’s version of this dish is a marriage of the sea and the heady aromas of tandoori. The tandoori clay oven dates back to 3000 B.C., and the traditional flavouring includes marinating the meat in yoghurt, a ginger and garlic paste, garam masala, red chilli powder, and coriander. The final distinct texture and flavour comes from the charring smokiness of the oven, and the spiciness from the chilli powder certainly packs a punch. We serve seven meaty king prawns on a bed of freshly chopped salad, and we recommend an accompaniment of raita for dipping and refreshment to go with it.

Cauliflower Pakora

Cauliflower Pakora

The simplest dishes are sometimes the best, and another one of our starters can attest to this. A sumptuous vegan option, our cauliflower pakora just entails three rudimentary steps. We boil our locally sourced cauliflower heads until they reach just the right amount of softness. We then coat it in gram flour and our very own blend of spice masala, then deep fry them until they achieve their golden coating. The simplicity is also in the flavour and in our presentation. Although the pakoras are relatively mild in flavour, save for the masala that delivers the final pop, we like to accompany the dish with a drizzle of our flavourful tomato sauce. Don’t skip it, or you’ll regret it!