Mutton Liver Fry (Kaleja Fry)

Name: Mutton Liver Fry (Kaleja Fry)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian, Telangana
Ingredients: 500 g Goat liver; ¼ tsp Turmeric; 3 tbsp Oil; 1 tsp Cumin seeds; 2 sprigs Curry leaves; 2 Medium onions, finely sliced; 4 Green chillies, slit; 1 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste; 1 ½ tsp Red chilli powder; 1 ½ tsp Coriander powder; ½ tsp Cumin powder; 1 tsp Black pepper, freshly crushed; ¾ tsp Garam masala; ¾ tsp Salt; 3 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped; ½ Lemon

Telangana's Sunday-morning kaleja fry: tender cubes of goat liver tossed fast in onion, ginger-garlic, green chilli and curry leaves until glossy and peppery. Best eaten straight from the pan.

Prep 15 min · Cook 20 min · Total 35 min · Serves 4

Ingredients

Liver

500 g Goat liver
¼ tsp Turmeric

Masala

3 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2 sprigs Curry leaves
2 Medium onions, finely sliced
4 Green chillies, slit
1 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste
1 ½ tsp Red chilli powder
1 ½ tsp Coriander powder
½ tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Black pepper, freshly crushed
¾ tsp Garam masala
¾ tsp Salt
3 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped
½ Lemon

Method

Clean the liver. Rinse the liver cubes twice in cold water and drain well. Toss with the turmeric and leave while you start the onions. Do not salt it yet; salt now makes liver tough.
Brown the onions. Heat the oil in a heavy kadai over medium-high heat. Add the cumin and curry leaves, then the onions and green chillies, and fry until the onions are a deep golden brown.
Cook the paste. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry until the raw smell goes. Lower the heat and stir in the chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder with a splash of water so they don't burn.
Fry the liver. Turn the heat back up, add the liver and toss constantly. It releases water at first; keep frying until that water evaporates and the masala clings. Cut a piece open: it should be just cooked with no red, but still soft.
Finish. Add the salt, pepper and garam masala and toss for 1 to 2 minutes more. Take it off the heat, squeeze over the lemon and scatter the coriander. Serve hot with onion rings, or with rice and dal.

Tips

Liver is the one cut that hates long cooking and the pressure cooker: 6 to 8 minutes on high heat is all it needs. Overcook it and it turns grainy and hard. A few pieces of kidney (gurda) cooked in with it is the classic Hyderabadi touch.