Where's the Heart

[Simon Majumdar]

As vegetarian food in India is so wonderful, the place of meat often gets forgotten.  In fact people assume you are a vegatarian unless you say that you are "non-veg"

This often covers up the wonderful meat dishes that you can find in so many regions.

One thing i have not been able to track down with any great success is a use of offal

I love offal in all its forms.  I think it is disengenuous to kill an animal and not try and eat all of it.  I love the kidneys, the spleen, the hearts etc but my own cuisine seems lacking.  Am I missing something?

I have had a wonderful brain curry in Delhi, but that was it.

Where in india do they specialise in offal and how do they prepare it.

Any clues?

S

[Jinmyo]

The closest I've come is seeing a curried liver dish at an Ottawa restaurant called Nagina's. (Someone should talk to them about the name.) It was on a steam table though so I didn't try it.

[Suvir Saran]

Simon.. Kashmir, Pakistan, Some in Punjab, or Mohammed Ali Road in Bombay.  YOu will find amazing preparations of these.  In fact I will be getting a lesson from a Pakistani friend later this month in cooking liver, kidneys and feet.  Will keep you posted.

Ismail Merchant makes great Liver Kababs and curry.  Maybe his cookbook has a recipe.  I gave mine away.  Or I would have checked.

Gurde Kapure (Kidnes and liver, I think?) is a famous dish from Kashmir.

Of course magaz (brain) curry is loved across India.

[Suvir Saran]

Many Moslem households prepare Trotters as well.

[Simon Majumdar]

Suvir

Thank you.

I can't wait to hear the ideas you get from your Pakistani friend

S

[Suvir Saran]

Not pig trotters though.  

I did not know what trotters were, I asked Chuck, he said to me people call them knuckles or feet, but disgusting is what he preferred to call them.  

He grew up in a farm in the Midwest and had eaten them as a child not so happily.  He loves them in Marinas home.  She makes them typical Pakistani style.

[Simon Majumdar]

I love trotters in all preparations

just a thought though, would not eating trotters be repugnant to a moslem?

S

[Suvir Saran]

Simon,

I may be losing you here... what is your question?

Moslems eat trotters.  Not pig trotters.  They eat baby goat trotters.  I am sure that may be the wrong word for them, but in Pakistan that is how they are called.

The thought of eating Pig is repugnant to Moslems just as it would be to Jew or Beef to a Hindu.  There are many that do not care.  And just as many that are fundamentally repulsed by breaking the norm.

[Simon Majumdar]

Suvir

Sorry, I was being insensitive to all that has gone before.  Forgive me.

I was assuming trotters meant pigs trotters and couldn't quite make the link with my many moslem friends gnawing down on the hoof of pig.

S

[yvonne johnson]

Jaffrey (in Invitation to Indian Cooking) gives a recipe for sweetbreads (she doesn't say what kind to use) with fresh green corriander which sounds interesting, but I see there's no mention of liver, spleen, brains, kidneys.  I consulted Balbir Singh and nothing there either.

[Tonyfinch]

The trotters eaten by Pakistanis are sheep and goats trotters.The dish they make with them is called Payahs.The trotters are braised in liquid and spices until soft and gelatinous and falling away from the bones and knuckles. The resulting dish is more like a soup than a meat dish and is eaten with rotis or naans.

Simon, New Tayyab do this dish one night of the week(can't remember which) as a special.When I arrange the egullet meal there I'll ensure its one of the dishes we're served.

[Simon Majumdar]

Tony

you are a legend, a great and a God

S

[Suvir Saran]

I concur with Simon on this Tony!

[anil]

Brian Curry - a.k.a "Bhejaa Curry" could be had in Hyderabad, AP; in and around Haji Ali, Mohammad-Ali Road, Crawford Market, Mahim all in Mumbai.

Liver - "Kalaji", in grill, curry form is also available in similar places. There are other parts of the country where you'd find it - though the names are not on top of my head.

Oh! Another great place was Sealdah in Kolkatta.

[Tonyfinch]

Aw shucks guys.....Actually,Simon,I'd reserve judgement until you've eaten the dish.It's not to everyone's taste.

[Suvir Saran]

Bheja or Magaz Curry is the same thing.  Brain Curry.

Kaleji and Kalaji are liver curry.

Anil, you are soooooo Good.  You are the US counterpart of God=Tonyfinch=Anil=Legend.

[Suvir Saran]

Simon my grandmother tells me that in Calcutta and also in Darjeeling and Assam, the Clubs would serve Kidneys on Toast.

The kidneys are marinated in milk for hours.  Dried, tossed in seasoned flour and then seared.  Set on paper towles to drain.

In some butter, onions are browned with ginger and garlic.  The traditional masalas are added (coriander, cumin, turmeric, red chile, and garam masala).  Tomatoes are added once the onions are wilted.  A little tomato puree and some water are added after the chopped tomatoes begin to wilt and.  Bring the contents of the pan to a boil.

Add the drained kidneys to the sauce and cook covered over a very low flame for 20 minutes or until the sauce is thick and coating the Kidney pieces.  

Toast trimmed bread slices.  

Finish the kidney by tasting for spicing.  Add salt to taste and more garam masala if needed.  Freshly chopped cilantro is excellent folded into the kidney masala.

Arrange the toasts on a serving platter.  Ladle the kidney masala over the toasts and serve hot.

[Suvir Saran]

Marina our dear friend from Pakistan always reminds me to make sure we only use Baby goat.  We get these in Jackson Heights in New York.

You could use lamb kidneys or even chicken.  But baby goat is the best.

[Suvir Saran]

Gosht Pasandas

In this recipe lamb trotters are used to add flavor to the sauce.

3-pound leg of baby goat or spring lamb

Marinade:

3 inch piece fresh ginger root, minced finely

6 cloves of garlic, minced finely

2 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

3 tablespoons canola

Trotter Stock:

8 baby goat/lamb trotters, cleaned and washed

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 small onion, diced

10 green cardamoms

4 black peppercorns

6 cloves

1 inch cinnamon stick

2 bay leaves

1/8 teaspoon mace powder

Masala:

Canola for frying pasandas

1 large onion, finely diced

2 inch fresh ginger root, finely minced

1 jalapeno pepper, minced finely

1 teaspoon garam masala

Juice of half a lemon, more to taste

1.4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves, washed and chopped finely

Clean and debone the leg.  Cut into 2 inch pieces and flatten these into 1/8 inch thick piccatas(pasandas). Set aside.

Mix all ingredients for the marinade.  Rub this onto the piccatas and leave to marinade at least 2 hours.

Blanch the trotters and drain.  Mix the trotters with the carrots and onions and the whole spices.  Add 16 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 2 hours.  Discard the trotters, strain the stock, skim fat and continue simmering reducing to 1 1/2 cups.

In a large skillet or, take some oil and sauté the lamb piccatas for close to 5 minutes.  Remove the piccatas to the side of the pan.  IN the same oil, fry the onions, ginger and chilies till they are wilted, no more than five minutes.  Add the piccatas to this mix and sauté them with the onions for a couple of minutes.  Add the 1 1/2 cups of trotter stock. Simmer until the piccatas are tender and most of the stock is reduced.

Taste for seasoning and add the garam masala, lemon juice and half of the cilantro leaves.

Arrange the pasandas (piccatas) on a platter overlapping on one another.  Pour the gravy on top of these and then garnish with remaining freshly cut cilantro leaves.

[Suvir Saran]

Simon,

There is a recipe from the Moslem community of what is now Pakistan.  I will send it to you tomorrow.  In that recipe, liver, kidney and brain are cooked togther.  Will post it very soon.

[Simon Majumdar]

Suvir

Fantastic

Thanks for all of this offal action.

I am off on a trip to Scandanavia this weekend, but I see the next weekend being up to my eyes in entrails

S

[Miss J]

I see the next weekend being up to my eyes in entrails

*blink*

That's the sort of statement that could give someone the wrong impression, Simon. I bet you scare the bejezus out of evesdroppers at dinner.  

Miss J

[Suvir Saran]

The liver in Indian food

[Suvir Saran]

The Brains of Indian Food