Meanwhile, mix the sauerkraut with the rest of the ingredients. Spread it evenly in the roasting tin, drizzle with more oil and bake for 25 minutes on the lower shelf. Transfer it to a serving dish, spread the crisp onions on top and serve. To make the cherry tomato topping, place a frying pan on high heat. Add the cherry tomatoes still on the vine. Add the olive oil. Cook them until slightly softened and just bursting, but holding their shape, about 7-8 minutes. Other names: Pimienta Negra, Poivre Noir, Poivre, Pfeffer, Peppar, Pepe, Filfil Aswad, Peper, Hu- Chiao, Kosha & Pyerets. Place on the hob and cook on medium heat till the tomatoes are softened but still keeping some texture, about 10 minutes. You can also make a curry by adding a quarter of a cup of water to the tomato tak, then adding 4 fillets of salmon. Cook on medium heat till the salmon is cooked through. Sprinkle with dill leaves and serve with boiled rice.

Grease your baking dish generously with another piece of the butter, covering the entire surface and right up to its inner sides. Divide the yassa onions into three portions. Begin layering the potatoes as beautifully or as pedantically as you desire. After a quarter of the potatoes have been layered, spoon a third of the jammy onions with some of its butter over the entire surface. Continue to layer with more potatoes and onions, until you have successfully reached the third layer of onions and the final fourth layer of potatoes to finish. You can use any leftovers the next day stirred through cooked rice, or even use it as a spread in sandwiches. To serve, spoon the tomato and mustard mix into a wide shallow serving bowl. Pasta bowls work well. Top with the roasted cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle over some sea salt flakes. Garnish with a few sprigs of dill. Remove the pan from the heat. You want to keep the texture and not overcook the tomatoes, because you still want to keep the sharp tanginess. In our home, no celebratory meal or festival feast is complete without a bowl of tamatar ka tak on the side. It is sharp with the pungency of mustard and sour tomatoes. It adds a burst of flavour, colour and vibrancy to any festive meal. I have kept the tradition by always having a bowl at my Christmas table.Just before serving add the dressing to the salad, and gently toss. Season to taste with salt and ground pepper. Take the green grapes and cut them in half, take out seeds, and place in a big mixing bowl. Cut the chicory in 5mm slices and the celery in 2-3mm slices, and place in the mixing bowl. Chop the tomatoes into small pieces. Chop the garlic very finely. Don’t use garlic paste here as it overpowers the dish. You just want the mellow garlic flavour to come through. Toast the walnuts on a dry pan until they start to colour. Cool down, then chop them roughly and add to the salad. Gently fold the salad, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Traditionally, local sour tomatoes, mustard oil and freshly pounded mustard seed paste is used but the version adapted for my London kitchen uses the cheapest sour tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil and readily available mustard and mustard powder. It works a treat in recreating the flavours, topped with some roasted cherry tomatoes on the vine and served with a sprinkle of sea salt and good extra virgin olive oil. I use olive oil as mustard oil is not easily available and it may also be a little strong for taste buds here.

At this stage, once cooled, the tomato tak can be stored in the fridge for 5 days and finished with the steps below when you are ready to serve. This makes it a great make-ahead dish. TIPS You can prepare the sauerkraut a day in advance. Before serving, reheat gently in a low-temperature oven or in a pan while you cook the onions. You can also serve it as an extra side dish with roast potatoes for additional texture. Use any leftover sauerkraut in cheese toasties on Boxing Day. You can also cook the cherry tomatoes in the oven, if your oven is already on for something. To do that, place the tomatoes on an oven tray lined with tin foil, drizzle olive oil and place in the oven at 180C fan/gas mark 6. Cook for 7-8 minutes, then finish with a sprinkling of sea salt.I don’t know the origin of this side dish, as I haven’t found it served anywhere except in my home and on my grandmother’s side of the family. I believe it came with my grandmother when she got married and it may have been prepared at her family home, though a mustard and tomato combination is popular in eastern cuisines of India.