As kids, liver used to be anathema. The sight of raw liver in a plate always put me off. The oozing blood didn’t help either. During my teens, my uncle, who was an exceptional cook within our family, one day announced, “It’s a day for all boys to take the passage from teenagers to adults. Lamb Liver Bhuna Masala makes men out of boys”. So it came to pass and he made the dish at our farm, then said to all of us cousins, “Anyone amongst you who is a coward take one step backwards. Any one who wants to join the world of men, step forward!”. To his and our great surprise, our elder cousin sister was the first one to step forward. So we let her taste the dish first.
Out of bravado, macho pride and not to be looked down upon by a teenage cousin sister who had taken the rite of passage, we all eagerly joined in. It was the best-est, tastiest and crunchiest dish I had ever eaten. Uncle was stopped in his tracks by my angry mother as he had also planned to initiate us into the mysteries of beer. Whilst mother laid into him, we enjoyed our new found status as men whilst our cousin sister declared that she was now a woman and we better respect her!
Our vegetarian aunty was livid with him as she had her own agenda to turn all the kids into vegetarians. She (rightly) feared that she could no longer gather us for religious discourses and lectures on the virtues of vegetarianism. We all successfully completed our rite of passage whilst uncle’s fate was worse than death at the hands of his wife and bhabi (sister-in-law).
Lamb Liver Bhuna Masala remains etched in my memory, of our carefree days in Kenya living within an extended family. Mothers never knew where we had eaten. All Aunts’ houses were literally free kitchens. Most Uncles were likeable rogues, some of them strict and others relived their childhood through us.
Over the years, I have cajoled the recipe out of him and usually make Lamb Liver Bhuna Masala using a frying pan on the barbecue. It is a dish that requires intense heat.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo Lambs liver washed and diced into big bite sized chunks
- ½ kilo Red onions.
- 1 tsp Jeera/Cumin seed.
- 2 tbsp Garlic paste
- 2 tbsp Ginger paste
- 2 tbsp Sun dried tomato paste
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- ¼ tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- Spring onions and Coriander leaves to garnish.
Method
- Combine all ingredients with olive oil except Jeera and onions to make a thick paste.
- Marinate liver by smearing this paste evenly on all pieces and leave it for about an hour.
- Heat I teaspoon of olive oil in frying pan and season it with Jira.
- Add onions and do fry until these are supple/transparent/pink but not brown
- Add liver and continuously stir to ensure cooking is even
- Add chopped spring onions
- Garnish with coriander
I’d like to meet your uncle.
I know a lot of friends & relatives who love dry fried organ meat to have as a snack with their drinks.Even my Naga friends here love cooking organ meat & would always prefer it to fat & normal cuts.They say it is cheaper, healtier & more tasty.
Hi Karam, this recipe reminds me of my grandmother, who used to cook mutton in a similar manner. I don’t really remember the whole recipe, as I was a kid then, but it had something to do with mutton pieces partially cooked in a tandoor, and then marinated with a paste of ginger, garlic, red chili powder, dry coriander, garam masala and a few other spices for about an hour, and then made into a thick gravy. That used to be awesome with rotis and rice.
Hey Karam, this sounds too good. I was always a sucker for keema kaleji(minced lamb and liver) at kake da dhaba in Delhi, but this sounds even better. I just have to try this out. Thanks for sharing this with us. Hope to see more such recipes and tips from someone as versatile as yourself – Kenyan, Indian, Chinese, Greek and French cuisines – WOW.
Cheerio.
Hey , The above recipe will surely be tried and tested at home on our koroga nights! Im sure the memsahibs will not be amused. I remember the camping trip we had in Naivasha, Kenya, the dinner you prepared was superb! The best I think was the pork chops… Still makes me salivate!
keep up the good work!
Hi Karam ,
Thanks . u hv an exclusive palate. wish u had more time to spend with me. I love cooking and hosting parties. I will try ur lever dish very soon. looking forward to some more recepies. happy cooking.
bhaskar
lovcly food i would love to cook this for you.
rob
Thanks all for feedback.
Another variation with the same dish – I add a hand full of grapes and let these stir fry with the liver. The grapes do not shrink but add nice sweet sour taste to the dish.
great recipe, a real find, simple and tasty!