As I have probably mentioned on an earlier post, when I was growing up, we ate meat probably once or twice a month. As such there was a lot of anticipation when I knew my mother was going to cook non-vegetarian food and I would hang around the kitchen offering to help in any way I could. I would also volunteer to set the table. When it was time to eat, we ate reverentially with no conversation, except to compliment my mother that, as usual the food was delicious! When we ate chicken, we usually cooked a broiler and the liver was considered a delicacy. We never bought chicken liver by itself. I started cooking chicken liver once I got to the US and this recipe is my own concoction. I’m the only one who eats it at home, so I usually cook this when my brother-in-law, Kumar is visiting us. He is from Hyderabad, he knows his Kaleja fry well and since I have received his stamp of approval, I decided to share this recipe!
Ingredients
- Chicken liver - 1 lb
- Onion - 1 large, diced
- Garlic - 5 cloves, finely chopped
- Ginger - 1" piece, finely chopped
- Green Chillies - 6-8, finely chopped (more or less depending on your spice tolerance)
- Cilantro - 1 small bunch, chopped finely, divided
- Curry leaves - 1 sprig
- Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
- Kashmiri chilli powder - 1 tsp
- Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
- Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
- Oil - 1 tbsp
- Salt - to taste
Instructions
Clean the liver, removing any strands of fat that may be adhering to it. Wash and pat dry with paper towels
Heat oil in a skillet and add the diced onions
Fry the onions till light brown.
Add the curry leaves followed by the ginger, garlic and green chillies and fry till fragrant.
Add the turmeric and chilli powder and mix well.
Add the chicken liver and stir well so that the spice mixture coats the liver.
Add salt, pepper powder and half the chopped cilantro and continue frying. If you prefer to have a little gravy, you can add a little water at this point.
Once the liver is cooked, sprinkle the garam masala on top and garnish with the remaining cilantro and mix well.
Serve hot with white rice or rotis.
- Note:
- You can use 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste in lieu of adding fresh ginger and garlic. I have tried both, I find that the freshly chopped ginger and garlic give the dish a better flavor.
- This dish is traditionally dry but you can add water if you like some gravy especially when eating with rice.
- Chicken liver is fairly high in cholesterol, I eat it sparingly, this makes it a special treat!
- We like the dish spicy so I add about 8 green chillies. Go easy on the green chillies if you prefer a milder version.
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