Kamounia

Cumin by the tablespoon, which is what the name is built on and what makes the liver edible in quantity.

Beef. Not vegetarian — contains beef, beef stock.

Ingredients

• 500 g beef liver, in cubes
• 400 g stewing beef, in cubes
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 8 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons ghee
• 2 tablespoons tomato purée
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon cayenne
• 600 ml beef stock
• a handful of parsley, chopped
• juice of ½ lemon
• salt and black pepper

Method

1. CUMIN BY THE TABLESPOON, which is what the name is built on and what makes the liver edible in quantity. Two tablespoons for six people -- six times what most stews would take. Liver is strongly mineral and faintly metallic, and cumin is one of very few spices assertive and earthy enough to stand level with it rather than being buried. Seasoned normally, this is a stew that tastes of liver and that most people will not finish. With the full quantity the cumin and the liver read as one flavour.
2. THE CUMIN GOES IN TWICE. Half fried into the ghee with the garlic at the start, so it blooms and its oils disperse through the fat, and half stirred in near the end so some of it stays bright and raw-edged. All at the start and it goes dusty over an hour; all at the end and it tastes powdery.
3. THE BEEF IS STEWED FIRST AND THE LIVER GOES IN AT THE END. An hour and a quarter for the stewing beef, then the liver for eight to ten minutes only. Liver cooked for an hour turns grainy and hard; eight minutes leaves it just firm and still faintly pink inside, which is the difference between this dish working and not.
4. THE LIVER IS SEARED SEPARATELY AND HARD, THEN SET ASIDE. In a very hot pan, in batches, thirty seconds a side, so it takes colour without cooking through. Added raw to the pot it poaches grey and sheds blood into the sauce.
5. THE LIVER IS SOAKED IN MILK OR SALTED WATER FIRST. Half an hour, then rinsed and patted dry. It draws out blood and tames the metallic edge considerably. Skipped, the dish is noticeably harsher and even the cumin struggles.
6. EIGHT CLOVES OF GARLIC IS CORRECT. With the cumin it is the other half of the seasoning. This is not a subtle pot and there is no point pretending otherwise.
7. THE LEMON GOES IN AT THE VERY END. A squeeze off the heat. Acid against liver is what lifts it, and cooked in it goes dull.
8. The liver SOAKED in milk or salted water 30 MINUTES, then rinsed and PATTED DRY.
9. The ghee heated and the stewing beef browned HARD in batches. Lifted out.
10. The liver SEARED in the same pan, very hot, 30 SECONDS a side in batches. Lifted out and set aside.
11. The onions softened 8 MINUTES, then the garlic and ONE TABLESPOON of the cumin fried into the ghee 40 SECONDS.
12. The purée, ground coriander and cayenne added and fried 2 MINUTES.
13. The beef returned with the stock and simmered, lid on, 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES until tender.
14. The SECOND TABLESPOON of cumin stirred in, then the seared liver returned for 8 to 10 MINUTES ONLY.
15. Taken off the heat; the lemon juice and parsley stirred in.
16. TESTED: the liver should be just firm and still faintly pink inside. Grainy and hard means it went in too early.
17. Served with rice or bread.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Egypt · All recipes