Pushpesh Pantunveils the delectable
kamal kakri ke tikke
WHO
hasn’t heard that murg tikka masala has displaced fish and
chips as the national dish of Great Britain? In the land of its birth
this tikka has many competitors for pride of place. There are
dozens of contenders — malai tikka, ajwaini macchi tikka, lehsuni
tikka, mutton boti tikka and for the shakahari the paneer
tikka.`A0This is what has caused us considerable distress. Why
should the vegetarians be short-changed every time? Why can’t they
have greater choice when it comes to tikka? Once in the lake
city of Udaipur, the man from the princely kitchen of Arvind Singhji
Mewar had produced delectable aal ke sule crafted from bottle
gourd that had novelty but not much bite. Jackfruit performs
brilliantly in qorma and biryani but doesn’t quite
measure up as tikka. This is the reason we were thrilled to
encounter kamal kakari ke tikke at a friend’s house recently.
Also known as bhein, bhasinda and nadru, lotus stems
have long been our favourite — in delicate Kashmiri yakhani, draped
in spice besan or honey-laced stir-fried in their Chinese
incarnation. Nerrajaji Mattoo, brilliant hostess and writer of
delightful cook books showcasing Kashmiri repertoire, had once treated
us to Nadra ke Shami and I think this is what inspired our host
who had been a fellow guest at her table to experiment with the kamal
kakri ke tikke. We have great pleasure in unveiling this unalloyed
gem with our readers.
Kamal
Kakri ke Tikke
Ingredients
Lotus stems 200 gm
Oil 3 tbsp
Cloves two
Cinnamon powder ¼
tsp
Clove powder ¼
tsp
Black peppercorn
powder ¼ tsp
Cardamom powder ¼
tsp
Green chillies two
Half an onion
(large)
Wedges of lime
Salt to taste
A pinch of
Kashmiri red chilli powder
A sprig of fresh
coriander leaves
Method
Peel and slice the
onions in fine large rings. Wipe the green chillies. Wash and
scrape clean the lotus stems. Cut in diagonal slices about 1 and
`BD inch thick. Steam for about 10 minutes. Heat oil in a
non-stick pan and put the cloves in. When these change colour,
add the lotus stem tikka and stir fry the tikka
for about five minutes ensuring that these are evenly browned.
Sprinkle the aromatic spice powders and stir to mix well. Serve
hot with wedges of lime, green chillies and onion rings. We
believe these tikka leave the ubiquitous paneer
panting and are in a different league than yam or jackfruit
concoctions. If you really wish to dazzle the diners, you can
brush the tikka with saffron-tinged rosewater. Emperor
Jehangir would have certainly approved. Let the Brits stay and
burp with their murg dunked in curry masala.
WHO
hasn’t heard that murg tikka masala has displaced fish and
chips as the national dish of Great Britain? In the land of its birth
this tikka has many competitors for pride of place. There are
dozens of contenders — malai tikka, ajwaini macchi tikka, lehsuni
tikka, mutton boti tikka and for the shakahari the paneer
tikka.`A0This is what has caused us considerable distress. Why
should the vegetarians be short-changed every time? Why can’t they
have greater choice when it comes to tikka? Once in the lake
city of Udaipur, the man from the princely kitchen of Arvind Singhji
Mewar had produced delectable aal ke sule crafted from bottle
gourd that had novelty but not much bite. Jackfruit performs
brilliantly in qorma and biryani but doesn’t quite
measure up as tikka. This is the reason we were thrilled to
encounter kamal kakari ke tikke at a friend’s house recently.
Also known as bhein, bhasinda and nadru, lotus stems
have long been our favourite — in delicate Kashmiri yakhani, draped
in spice besan or honey-laced stir-fried in their Chinese
incarnation. Nerrajaji Mattoo, brilliant hostess and writer of
delightful cook books showcasing Kashmiri repertoire, had once treated
us to Nadra ke Shami and I think this is what inspired our host
who had been a fellow guest at her table to experiment with the kamal
kakri ke tikke. We have great pleasure in unveiling this unalloyed
gem with our readers.