Liver Curry

Wish you all a happy Dasara or Vijaya Dashami! Growing up, Dasara was one festival I always looked forward to and this festival always reminds me of food; to be more precise, non-veg food and more non-veg food. Every Dasara, Mutton Biryani and an array of food prepared with mutton and chicken were on the menu. Back then, for us Dasara was all about family gatherings with lots & lots of food and off course alcohol for the grownups! This is one festival that always brings back lot of memories.

Indian festivals do not fall on the same day every year and the day varies depending on the Hindu calendar. Festivals always are celebrate in the same month but the day is different every year; Dasara is always in October, Diwali in last week of October or early November, Ugadi in March or early April, and so forth. After coming to the US, it was very difficult to figure out when a festival was and most of the time I did not know when a particular festival was until it was over. This was back in the days when personal computers were not a household item and most of the people did not even know what internet was. Later on, when personal computers became popular and Internet became a source of information gathering, knowing when a festival is was just a click away. Now, I do know when the festivals are but I do not go out of my way to celebrate any of the festivals. I am not a religious person but I am not an atheist either. However, I do celebrate one festival in particular, which is Dasara. I do not perform any puja but do follow the tradition of cooking biryani on this day 🙂

Couple of days ago, I bought some goat meat for biryani and also bought some goat liver. Mr. U loves liver fry or curry and whenever I pick up some goat meat, I also buy some liver with it. So, our lunch yesterday was one of his favorites, liver curry.

Total Time: 40 minutes (excludes marination & pressure cooker cooling time)
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:
Garam Masala

• 1 Clove
• 1 - 2 Cardamoms (only seeds) or ⅛ tsp. Cardamom Seeds
• ¼ tsp. Shah Jeera or Black Cumin
• ⅛” Cinnamon

Marinade

• 500 gms Goat Liver cut into 1 – 1 ½ “ cubes
• 1 ½ tsp. Chili Powder
• 2 tsp. Coriander Powder
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 2 tsp. Ginger Garlic Paste
• 1 tsp. Oil
• Pinch of Garam Masala

Curry

• 3 tsp. Oil
• 2 Cardamoms
• 2 Cloves
• Bay Leaf
• 1 Large, Jumbo Onion chopped or 1 ½ cups chopped Onion
• 1 ½ tsp. Ginger Garlic Paste
• 2 tsp. Coriander Powder
• Turmeric Powder
• 1 tsp. Chili Powder (adjust to taste)
• ¼ tsp. Garam Masala
• ¼ tsp. Salt (adjust to taste)
• 1 medium to large Tomato chopped or ¾ cup chopped Tomato (I used Vine Tomato but can use any variety)
• Cilantro to Garnish

Preparation:

• Grind all the ingredients listed under garam masala to a fine powder. This will yield little over ¼ tsp. of garam masala. Can use this powder or store bought garam masala.
• Wash liver; marinate it with all the ingredients listed under marinade for at least 10-15 minutes, if time permits. I am a marination freak and try to marinate my meats for at least few minutes before cooking.
• Pressure cook the liver for 5-6 whistles or until the liver is tender. Liver can be cooked in a pan too but I always had a difficulty cooking it right in a pan. Pressure cooker works perfectly for me and prefer using it over a pan.
• Remove the cooker from the stove and keep it aside until pressure cools off.
• In a frying pan or sauté pan, heat oil. Once the oil is hot, add cardamom, clove, and bay leaf and let them roast for few seconds.
• Add onion and sauté until the onions are translucent.
• Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for another minute and add coriander powder, chili powder, turmeric powder, salt and mix well.
• Add tomatoes, mix well, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes or until tomatoes are mushy.
• Add the cooked liver, mix well, cover and continue to cook on medium-high flame, stirring in between, until all the juices or liquid evaporates.
• Reduce the heat to medium to medium-low and continue to sauté until the liver is well roasted. At this step, it can be cooked either covered or uncovered. I covered and cooked it until done.
• Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rice.