A celebrated Pakistani dish of finely chopped organ meats cooked in a medley of spices using a rhythmic chopping technique, resulting in tender, flavourful morsels.
Kat-a-Kat (Tak-a-Tak)
Ingredients
- 1 lamb brain cleaned and diced
- 4 kidneys trimmed and halved
- 1.5 kg heart cleaned and diced
- 10 –12 garlic cloves minced
- 3 medium tomatoes chopped
- 2 tbsp garlic paste
- 2 tbsp ginger paste
- 2 tbsp plain yoghurt
- 5 –6 green chillies sliced
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp red chilli flakes
- ½ tsp garam masala
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp ghee or cooking oil
Instructions
- Clean and dice the brain, kidneys, and heart into bite-sized pieces.
- Heat the ghee (or oil) in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger pastes and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the diced organ meats in a single layer. Allow them to sear undisturbed for 2–3 minutes, then begin chopping and tossing with two spatulas (the “tak-a-tak” method).
- Once the meat is lightly browned, stir in the chopped tomatoes, sliced chillies, black pepper, cumin, red chilli powder, chilli flakes, garam masala, and salt. Continue chopping and mixing for 10–15 minutes until the mixture is finely minced and evenly coated in spices.
- Stir in the yoghurt and cook for an additional 2 minutes to meld flavours.
- Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with raw onion rings, lime wedges, and fresh coriander leaves. Serve immediately.
Notes
Kat-a-Kat gets its name from the rhythmic “tak-a-tak” chopping action used to tenderize and mix the meats on the hot griddle. For best texture, use two flat spatulas and chop continuously until the pieces are uniformly small. Serve hot. It’s often eaten with hot naan, sheermaal or roomali roti.