Dish of Beef Liver and Onions
(click to enlarge)

Liver and Onions


East Africa - Uganda   -   Ini na Vitunguu
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 2 #
***
4 hrs
Prep		 A delicious recipe for liver and onions, with excellent balance between Liver and Vegies. "Variety meats" are very popular in Uganda.

1
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10
3
6
3
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1/2
1
1/2
2/3
1/3
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3
1/2
1
2
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ar
#
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oz
cl
oz
oz
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T
t
T
t
t
---
T
c
T
T
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Liver (1)
-- Vegies
Onion, Red
Garlic
Bell Pepper, green  
Carrot
-- Seasonings
Curry Powder (2)
Paprika
Mchuzi Mix (3)
Salt
Pepper, black
-------------
Oil
Water
Tomato Paste
Lemon Juice
-- Garnish
Parsley
PREP   -   (3-1/2 hrs - 45 min work)
  1. Strip off the membrane covering parts of the LIVER and cut out major plumbing (see Peeling). The membrane makes it a bit chewy and the large blood vessels are very chewy.
  2. Cut Liver into into about 1 inch chunks. I have not suggested freeze stiffening here because this cutting is not as critical as slicing.
  3. Soak Liver in water to cover with 1 t Salt for 60 minutes - see Soaking. Drain very thoroughly.
  4. Slice ONIONS in half lengthwise, then slice about 1/8 inch crosswise. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Mix.
  5. Cut BELL PEPPER into 1/4 inch wide strips about 1/2 inch long. Add to Onions.
  6. Cut CARROT in half lengthwise and slice thin crosswise. Add to Onions.
  7. Mix all Seasonings items.
  8. Chop PARSLEY for Garnish.
RUN   -   (20 min)
  1. In a spacious sauté pan (3 qt), heat Oil. Stir in Liver over moderately high heat and fry stirring until just cooked through. At this point the liver becomes a little firm. Remove to a bowl. See also Traditional.
  2. Stir Onion mix into the pan and Fry stirring until Onions are translucent.
  3. Stir in Seasoning Mix.
  4. Add 1/2 cup Water and Tomato Paste. Bring to a boil and simmer about 5 minutes or until carrots are tender.
  5. Stir in fried Liver. Tumble until well distributed and well warmed - but no further cooking.
  6. Stir in Lemon Juice and take off the heat.
  7. Serve hot, garnished with Parsley.
NOTES:

  1. Liver:

      Beef is most common, though pork is sometimes used as the Muslim population is very small in Uganda. The photo example was made with beef liver. For details see our Beef Liver page.

  2. East African Curry Powder:

      You can easily make a very tasty Curry Powder by our recipe East African Curry Powder. You could also use a Madras style powder (Ship or Sun brand), but I recommend the above mix in this recipe.

  3. Mchuzi Mix:

      In Kenya, Royco® Mchuzi Mix is as dominant as Magi® Cubes are in Nigeria, used everywhere in East Africa. For this recipe it is both spicing and thickener. Royco is available in North America on-line, but if you don't have it, a close equivalent is easily made by our recipe CG Mchuzi Mix.

  4. Peeling:

      This is the hard part, but the membrane makes the Liver chewy (not needed for lamb or pork liver). Best to cut the liver in half crosswise and start peeling from there. It is not easy to start a peel from the edges. Pry up the edge of the membrane, then peel pulling with one hand and using fingers of the other under the membrane to loosen it from the meat. This method is "official" but our livers come from rather young beefs and the membrane can be too weak. If so, then I get under it with a razor sharp boning knife and shave it off. This job is likely to take you 25 minutes or so.

  5. Soaking Liver:

      In East Africa, the Liver is almost always soaked in Milk to cover. I rarely have milk on hand, so I base my soak on a recent scientific study in China that showed 1% Salt solution for 60 minutes was very effective - longer than 60 minutes was not as effective. This has proven successful for me.

  6. Traditional:

      Most Ugandan recipes call for frying the Liver, then just adding the other ingredients to the pan until all is cooked. This was formerly necessary because cooking was done in a stew pot over the fire. Today, chefs with modern stoves are tending to fry the Liver separately so it is not overcooked.
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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