I understand that not everyone is a big fan of Liver Curry a.k.a Masala Liver. But eating liver, nature’s most potent superfood, is a delicacy throughout many cultures. Now be honest, how many of you went “Ewwww…liver” by the title of this new curry recipe? I agree liver has a strong taste, but for many it is a familiar and delicious taste. If you grew up on a standard American Diet, eating liver for dinner or breakfast may not sound very appetizing. Many Muslim countries around the world cook, grill and make kababs out of liver. With Eid ul Adha around the corner, it’s a fine delicacy to add to your Eid Menu. Eid-ul-Adha is never complete without bhuna Kaleji and parathas or naan the morning after for my family.
Liver is a nutrient dense food and loaded with a wide spectrum of vitamins, minerals, proteins and fat. Liver contains an abundance of iron that is concentrated in a very usable form for your body. On top, liver is a fantastic source of Vitamin A, copper, folic acid, purines and B-12 and great for combating fatigue. A great food to eat once in a while.
Liver is tender and full of flavor. When buying look for grass fed and organically grown very fresh, firm, shimmering livers with a deep pink-red color. The trick is to prepare liver is to cook at a very high temperature for a very short amount of time with generous quantity of spices. Liver cooked with generous amount of onion, garam masala, ginger paste, and garlic paste makes the dish spicy and let’s just say very delicious. When cooked right, liver is tender, moist, juicy and almost velvety! Cook liver too much and it will become real tough and grainy.
Kaleji Bhuna (কলিজা ভুনা) a.k.a liver fry or dry liver curry is a popular item to savor with naan, roti or paratha for breakfast or brunch in Bangladeshi. Often, thick gravy and cubed potatoes are added to the dish. Besides breakfast, liver curry is a popular side to savor with plain rice for dinner.
I hope this spicy dry liver curry recipe will turn some liver haters into converts. Bon Apetit!
- 1 lb beef or mutton liver
- ½ cup oil
- 3-4 green cardamoms
- 3-4 stick of cinnamon (1″ stick )
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 2 tea spoon garlic paste
- ½ teaspoon dry roasted cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon dry roasted coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- Salt to taste
- Whole green chilies for garnish
- Cut liver into small cubes.
- Heat oil and add the whole cardamoms, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves. Add the sliced onion and fry until golden brown.
- Now put all the spices from ginger paste to chili powder in the pan. Cook the spices/masalas until fragrant.
- Add liver in the spices and cook on medium high flame for 20-25 minutes. Add a little water if needed.
- Add salt and green chillies, mix and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Turn off stove and keep the pan on the warm stove with lid on until the oil separates.
Overcooking liver would make it hard and rubbery.
Add salt at the end of the cooking. Let spices get in the liver pieces as salt tends to lock the flavor.
My parents are not here right now so this is the recipe I’m going to use, iA! Thank you for posting and Eid Mubarak in advance.
Salaam. Hope the liver recipe turned out well for you.