Kata-Kat
کٹا کٹ
You hear kata-kat before you see it: two flat steel blades hammering on a huge , chopping kidneys, liver and meat into small pieces as they fry. It is late-night street food in Karachi and Lahore, eaten straight off the tawa with naan. At home you won't need the theatre. Pre-boiling the meat, a very hot pan and a spatula do the job, and the result is a spicy, buttery, tomato-rich fry full of different textures.
- ⏱ Total: 1 hr 10 min
- Prep: 20 min
- Cook: 50 min
- Medium
- Serves 4
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Put the mutton and kidneys in a pan with the water and half the salt. Simmer covered for 30–35 minutes until the meat is tender, then drain, keeping a cup of the stock. Leave the liver raw; it cooks quickly.
Heat a large or heavy frying pan until very hot. Add the oil and half the butter, then the ginger and garlic paste, and stir for 30 seconds. Add the boiled meat and kidneys and fry for 4–5 minutes until browned at the edges.
Add the liver and fry for 3 minutes, turning, until it changes colour. Then add the tomatoes, crushed chilies, chili powder, cumin, coriander, pepper and the rest of the salt. Chop and stir everything together with the edge of a flat spatula, pressing the tomatoes into the pan.
Add a few tablespoons of the reserved stock whenever it starts to stick, and keep chopping and frying for 6–8 minutes until the tomatoes have melted into a thick masala and the oil and butter separate. Don't overcook the liver: it should still be just soft inside.
Add the remaining butter, the green chilies and ginger strips, toss for a minute, then squeeze over the lemon. Scatter with coriander and serve straight from the pan with hot naan.
Kitchen notes
Clean the kidneys well: halve them, cut out the white core and soak in salted water for 15 minutes. This removes any strong smell.
Street vendors also add brain (maghaz) and sweetbreads. Add 150 g of boiled brain in the last 3 minutes if you like it.
A heavy cast-iron pan is the best home substitute for the street tawa, because it stays hot when the meat goes in.
Street food with a soundtrack
Kata-kat takes its name from the noise. On a large, slightly domed tawa, the cook hammers two flat metal blades in rhythm, chopping and turning kidneys, liver, meat and tomatoes all at once. The clatter is part of the experience, and you’ll find it at the busy food streets of Karachi and Lahore late into the night.
The home method
The street version uses meat that has already been boiled, and so does this one. Simmering the mutton and kidneys first makes them tender, so on the tawa they only need to brown and soak up the masala. Liver is different: it goes in raw near the end, because boiling or long frying makes it tough.
The masala is simple and bold: plenty of tomatoes, crushed red chilies, roasted cumin, crushed coriander and black pepper, with butter for richness. Keep the pan very hot so the meat fries rather than stews, and add spoonfuls of the boiling stock whenever the masala catches. That stock adds flavour as it reduces.
Serving
Kata-kat is eaten hot, straight from the pan, with naan and a squeeze of lemon. Sliced onions and green chutney are the usual extras. It’s best eaten as soon as it’s cooked; the liver firms up as it sits, so reheat leftovers gently with a spoonful of water.
Questions people ask
Can I make it with chicken?
Yes. Chicken kata-kat uses boneless chicken with chicken liver and gizzards. Boil the gizzards for 20 minutes, but fry the chicken pieces raw.
Why is my liver hard and rubbery?
It was cooked too long. Liver needs only 6–8 minutes in total; add it after the boiled meat, never boil it with the meat.
Is the chopping necessary?
Not really. It just mixes everything and makes small, even pieces. Cutting the meat small to start with gives the same result.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 410
- Protein
- 36 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
