Recipe for Hyderabadi Tutak
(Minced Meat Cookies)
What is unique about Hyderabadi Tutak
Baked using semolina, cooked lamb mince, and clarified butter as it’s main ingredients, Tutaks are a perfect example of rich traditional Nizami food couture.
Baked crispy to perfection on the outside and encased with a delicious lamb filling on the inside, Tutaks truly stand out as food meant for the royalty !!
Ingredients for Hyderabadi Tutak
Ingredients Needed for Cookie Filling :
Minced lamb meat – 500 gms
Oil- 4 tablespoons
Turmeric- 1/2 a teaspoon
Ginger garlic paste- 3 teaspoon
Chilli powder- 2 tablespoon
Garam Masala Powder – 1/2 Teaspoon
Shahi jeera – 2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Lemon juice – 3-4 tablespoons
Fresh Coriander Leaves Chopped – 1/2 Cup
Green Chillies – 2-3 (finely chopped)
Ingredients Needed for the Outer Coating:
Semolina (Rawa)- 500 gms
Clarified butter ( ghee) – 250-300 gms
Milk -500 gms
Salt to taste
Sahi jeera – 1-2 teaspoon
Method to cook Hyderabadi Tutak
Start by preparing the inner lamb filling. For this, take oil in a pan and when heated add the cleaned and washed lamb mince
Cook the lamb mince by adding the ginger garlic paste, turmeric, chili powder, Garam Masala Powder, and salt mixing occasionally till the mince is well cooked and water give off from the mince dries away
Now switch off the flame, add coriander leaves and green chillies, mix it well and leave it to cool down to be used later as a filling
Drizzle in the lemon juice once the mixture cools and mix it in well
In order to make the cookies, take a large steel charger plate to mix the semolina
Add the semolina and drizzle in the salt shahi jeera and the melted clarified butter and mix the ingredients well by rubbing them in between the palms of your hands
The idea is to get a smooth mixture with no lumps. Once this is done, we would start adding the milk taken in a glass or a cup, adding the milk bit by bit onto a small portion of the semolina mixture enough to be able to bind together the mixture to make 1-2 cookies at a time
The idea of adding small portions of the milk at a time is to prevent the entire mixture from clumping as the semolina absorbs the milk very quickly and adding too much milk might cause the cookies to turn out hard
Therefore the trick is to fill and enclose the cookies quickly with the lamb mix before the semolina – milk mix dries
In order to make the cookies, pinch out a small portion of the semolina – milk mixture enough to fit into the enclose palm of your hand
Now flatten the mixture by patting it using the fingers of the other hand to form a flattened circle
Place one spoonful of the lamb mince in the center of this flattened mixture and then set the mixture by bringing the rounded corners together to form a done shape
Smooth off the upper dome by placing your inner palm over the rounded dome and seal off any cracks by dabbing some milk and bringing the mixture together
Repeat the process each time adding small quantities of the milk and shaking 2-3 cookies at a time
As you continue to shape the cookies, leave the oven to preheat at 180-degree centigrade for 10-15 minutes
Arrange a baking tray lined with silver and greased with oil or clarified butter
Arrange the cookies on the baking tray leaving a small amount of gap between them
Leave the cookies to bake at 220-degree centigrade for 24-30 minutes by which time they start to acquire a light golden tinge
Traditionally tutaks were baked over coal in large shallow heavy aluminum vessels called ‘Lagan’ in the times of the Nizam
Check to see if the Tutaks have browned and turned them accordingly to ensure that all the sides have cooked well
Once done, take them out of the oven and serve them hot.
Tutaks can be eaten alone taste equally well with a hot cup of tea
They can be stored outside or in the refrigerator to be consumed later for up to a week. Just make sure you warm them up in a microwave for about 30 seconds