Savory Liver Curry with Yellow Lentil and Rice

I happen to really enjoy the taste of well prepared liver! When my mother makes her chicken curry she always leaves the liver and gizzards and I am always the one to savor it! My aunt used to make liver curry on rare days and I still remember just eating so slowly making it last. I haven't had much of an opportunity to cook liver in the States but here in Dhaka, where there are streets of butchers, a whole liver is easily picked up in any corner. This recipe, however is not mine - its my cook, Alom's concoction. Its delicious, especially with some nice thick lentil curry and white rice with freshly squeezed lime on top! Its just...well, you give it a shot and let me know! Just to Note-Alom does not cook with specific measurements, just eyeballs the ingredients and feels his way through. So, the proportions may not be exact - he just says - 1/2tsp of all spices - but with any good cook - one should experiment with the flavors and settle on what amount of spices are right for your palate!

Ingredients

1/2 kg of liver from beef cut into bite size pcs.
Onion - 1 whole - half paste, half sliced thin
Garlic - 1 tsp paste - 2-3 cloves sliced/chopped
Ginger - 1 tsp paste
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp powder
Chili - 1/2 tsp powder
Coriander - 1/2 tsp powder
Cumin - 1/2 tsp powder
Fennugreek - 1/2 tsp powder
Bay leaf - 1 dried
Salt & sugar to taste
Oil to fry

Instructions

1. Heat in a pan or pot or wok about 2-3 tbsp of oil, sautee up sliced garlic and onion till well done. About 2-3 mins.

2. Add in all the spices one by one. Start with the pastes (onion, garlic, ginger), then the bay leaf, lastly the powders. Add salt. Fry well, add a little bit of oil if too dried out and scorching or 2-3 tbsp of water.

3. Add the liver pcs and fry and mix well with the paste formed. When well mixed, add about 1-2 cups of water, depending on how much curry you want. More water for thinner curry, less for thicker.

4. Cook covered until livers are well done. Takes about 10-15mins. Taste check - add salt and little sugar if needed.

Serve with some Lentil and rice and Enjoy!

Tips: you can increase the cumin powder to 1tsp. for a bolder taste. Too much fenugreek may turn the curry bitter. Everything else can be adjusted to preference.

Onion Beef Curry - Mangshoer DoPiaza

It is so hot here that we don't have an appetite for anything! Cooking feels like a chore and eating a tiring experience. I have trained our servant to read and cook so i can write up a recipe for him or hand him a bengali recipe and he can come up with a very delicious recipe. So, after racking my brain for a yummy meal that Cal and I would actually WANT to eat - I landed on this recipe. Served up with flaky parothas and cool cucumber yogurt - was very satisfying.

Please keep in mind to read this first then start cooking. South asian curries are all about patience and time. The flavors need time to really mix well for the delicious flavor to come out. So do the cooking in the steps and wait in between for few mins for the spices to blend well.

One tip for added flavor - marinade the beef for an hour or two in a paste of fresh garlic, ginger and onion with salt.

Ingredients

Beef: 2 pounds
Onion: 4 med to large (sliced)
Ginger: 1 inch (paste or cut small)
Garlic: 6 cloves
Dry red Chili: 6

Paste or powder: 2 Tsp. each
Turmeric
Chili powder
Coriander powder
Cumin powder

Ghee (clarified butter): 3 1/2 Oz.
Sugar: 2 Tbsp.
Dry bay leaf: 2 med. size
Salt: as per taste

1) Wash and cut beef in medium bite size pieces. Slice onions. Grind/paste together ginger, garlic and Dry red chili.

2) Heat the ghee in a pot. Add half the onions and sautee. Add beef and fry together for few mins. Add ginger, garlic, chili paste and stir and mix well.

3) Add the rest of the onions. Lightly stir and the spice powders and pastes of 2 tsps. each. Fry all and stir well. Cook few mins. Add sugar, salt and bay leaf.

4) Once it fries all together and sticks pastey add 7 oz. of water. Cook on med. high until the water dries or the oil rises to the top about 1/2 hour to 45 mins - depending on your meat and cooking temp. Check if meat is well cooked and tender. If not - add more water and cook longer.

5) Take off from stove, add some crispy fried onions on top and serve!

Enjoy!!

Beef Vindaloo

I love this curry, but always have a hard time getting the meat to be tender enough. Could just be the meat in Dhaka. I puree green papaya and marinate the beef for about an hour to hour and half and wash it off before cooking it. I have made this curry several times and the longer its on stove the better the taste and even better the next day! Its delicious to sop up with some fluffy parothas or white rice.

Ingredients

Beef 1KG
Oil 1/4 cup
Onion, chopped 1 Tbl. sp.
Garlic, chopped 1 tsp.
Ginger, paste/powder 1 tsp.
Coriander, paste/powder 1 tsp.
Cumin, paste/powder 1 tsp.
Turmeric, paste/powder 1 tsp.
Mustard, paste/powder 1/2 tsp.
Chilly powder 2 tsp.
Black Pepper, powder 1/4 tsp.
Vinegar 2 Tbl.
Whole green Chillies 2
Salt 1 tsp.

1. In heated oil, fry the onion and garlic slightly.

2. Mix all the spices in the vinegar and pour into the pan. Fry for 3-4 mins then add the meat.

3. Cook covered for 20-3o mins. Once the meat in tender and cooked through, stir with spices that are now paste like.

4. Serve!

Note: You can add small bite size potatoes as well.

Tehari [Mutton/beef and Rice]

This is great for a group party and eaten with some fresh salad or sour yogurt. You can of course increase and decrease the amounts of spices depending on your own tastes.





Beef 2 kg. (4 Lbs.)

Onion paste 6 whole
Garlic paste 1 tsp.
Red chili paste 1 tbsp.
Coriander paste 1 tbsp.
Cumin paste 1 tbsp.
Ginger paste 2 tbsp.
Cinnamon 2c.m 3 pieces
Cardamom 4 pods
Cloves 5 pcs
Green chilies 9 whole
Oil 1-1/4 cup
Pulao rice* 1 kg (1 Lb.)
Salt 2 tbsp
Turmeric 1 tbsp (optional)

1. Cut the beef into medium sized cubes.

2. Heat oil in a big saucepan. Stir in all the pastes. Cook for about 2 mins.

3. Add beef, salt, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and bay leaf. Stir the beef
well with the paste mix and add 8 cups of water. Cook it in low heat till water dries.

4. Remove the meat from the spices.

5. Wash the rice and drain the water. Add rice to the spice mix and stir fry it for 3-4 mins.

6. Add 6-7 cups water. Once the water begins to boil, add the beef and green chilies.

7. Cook covered for 20 minutes in low heat.

When you take it out from the stove don’t open the cover for 20 minutes. Serve with a fresh salad.