RAWALPINDI: Patta tikka, which is a Shinwari dish and is common throughout Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is gaining popularity in the garrison city with many food outlets now serving the small pieces of liver wrapped in a thin layer of fat.

Very different from takatak which is a spicy dish made from liver, the patta tikkas which translate into ‘hidden’ tikkas are milder and are only seasoned with salt and while takatak is cooked in a wok, the patta tikka is grilled on an open spit.

Rawalpindi City, from Saddar to Peshawar Road, is filled with restaurants serving various tikkas which all use fat in their dishes.

Though the recipes for most tikkas require the use of other spices, curd, tomatoes, green chillies and ginger, the patta tikka is a much simpler variant.

“Making patta tikka is simple. Wrap small pieces of liver lamb in a thin layer of fat, which is taken from the stomach of a lamb. Dust it with salt and grill it on an open fire for a few minutes on each side, till the fat is crisp and golden,” said Mohammad Bashir, a chef at a restaurant in Bahria Town.

“Usually, the meat for tikkas is marinated in spices, herbs and curd to make it tender, but there is no need to marinate liver for patta tikkas because it is already soft and only takes about 10 minutes to cook. It is done as soon as the fat melts,” he added.

Mr Bashir said that people were turning towards milder and simpler foods, which is why restaurants were adding items like patta tikka to their menus.

People want something different, said Murad Khan, the owner of another restaurant.

He said traditional items like biryanis and karhais were no longer in demand.

“That is why most restaurants have included dishes from foreign cuisines or those eaten in other parts of the country. Our chefs go to these areas and try to learn the original recipes so that we can offer our customers the original taste,” he said.

“After trying the patta tikka, some of our customers even asked us to try wrapping pieces of kidney in fat the same way,” he added.

Waseem Malik, who was waiting for his order of patta tikka on Kashmir Road, said that he had heard from his elders that to improve the functioning of the liver, one should eat a lamb’s liver.

“That is why I think patta tikka is the healthier option. The fat is easier to digest as well,” he said.

Raja Majid, who was visiting a local restaurant specialising in the tikkas with his family, said: “ Patta tikka is the better option because it is not spicy and does not upset the stomach.”

He said the Shinwari dish was now popular with his family and recommended having the tikkas with hot naan, followed by green tea as is tradition in order to help digest the fat.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2016