If you are a regular at some of the watering holes in Park Street, there is a high chance that when you place your order for your favourite poison for the night, you will get your choice of the starters and most of the time the starters which are not in the menu and some of them are exclusive, with a little twist and a personal touch which are not meant for all. One such joint which I used to frequent, when there was still Music world at the famous corner of Park street, was Shehnaaz. Its on the lane which head towards Loreto college. The place is shut now and I miss the place and one thing which I miss most is the chicken liver fry which the ever smiling Babu Bhai ( the waiter) used to get for me. Many a times I have taken guests, have taken my ‘the then fiancee’, and have ordered this. Served in a small stainless steel plate, the livers were small in size, fried with onion and dry spices with very little gravy. The perfect companion of a Vodka in my opinion.They never charged for this but that’s what I still miss the most. As I have stopped frequenting the place like in the past, I am unaware whether anyone still serves that as a special wow factor for their regular guests.

We recently attended the Telengana Food Festival at The ITC Sonar Kolkata. The day we attended this, the same day the review of this place had come out in the leading newspapers and one dish by the sheer look stood out. The official name is Karjyam Vepudu which means Mutton Liver fried. It not only reminded me of a fond memory of the past but like always, that evening it was a super hit with all the foodbloggers. There has always been a debate that whether food bloggers are competent enough to comment on the food of chefs who are in the business of creating master dishes for 20 to 30 years or more, but for me and for us, the best takeaway from a festival is the awareness of a new cuisine, new cooking techniques, understanding the food trends and most importantly, getting inspired by the food.

We present Mutton liver masala fry.

Mutton Liver Masala Fry

The delicious Mutton liver masala fry

Mutton Liver Masala Fry- South Indian Style

Why I (Madhushree) would call it South Indian style and not Telengana or Andhra, is that I do not have the authentic recipe with me. I ate the food, tasted it and sort of figured out few of the spices being used. I also admit going through several blogs before finalizing on how to cook it while totally going with the flow with my ingredients, which I usually do. It tasted just like we ate. However, please forgive me if anyone feels that I have not done justice to the recipe.

Prep Time: ½ hour

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Mutton Liver Cubes 500 gms Onions 2 medium
Curry leaves 2 sprigs Black Pepper powder 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder ½ tsp Red Chili Powder ½ tsp
Coriander Powder 1 ½ tsp Mustard Seeds 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder ½ tsp Fennel Powder 1 tsp
Garlic Paste 1 ½ tbsp Ginger paste 1 tbsp
Green Chilies 2- 3 nos Vinegar (White Distilled) 1 tbsp
Sugar ½ tsp Any vegetable oil 2 tbsp
Salt To taste Ghee 1 tsp
delicious Mutton Liver Masala Fry

The dish just calls out to you

Method:

  • Wash the mutton liver cubes thoroughly and then soak in the vinegar and leave it aside for at least half hour.
  • While it is soaking in the vinegar, make a paste of one onion, ginger and garlic paste and fennel powder. If you do not have fennel powder, you can either grind some fennel and make a powder at home or you can soak 1 ½ tsp of fennel in water for some 15 minutes and grind along with the onion and garlic paste.
  • Thinly slice one onion.
  • In a wok, heat the oil. When smoking hot, add the mustard seeds and one slit green chili.
  • Then add as much curry leaves as you want to. I love the flavor of curry leaves, so I add in almost one whole sprig.
  • Once everything starts to splutter, add the sliced onions. Once they are translucent, add prepared paste and rest of the spices except the garam masala.
  • Start frying everything till its starts to leave some oil and the raw smell has gone off.
  • Add the liver pieces and fry for 5 minutes.
  • Add salt and the sugar. Transfer the entire contents in a pressure cooker. Add half a cup of water and shut the lid. Pressure cook for 4 -5 whistles.
  • Once the steams has subsided, open the pressure cooker and on high flame further cook till all the liquid has dried up.
  • Finally sprinkle some garam masala and ghee and mix it properly.
  • Garnish with more curry leaves and some slit green chilies.
  • Serve it hot with some roti or paratha.
Memories of Mutton Liver Masala Fry

This dish has lots of memories with it