February 26, 2024

Lambs Liver

Lambs Liver cooked with onions, peppers and tomatoes

Lambs liver cooked with onions, peppers and tomatoes is incredibly popular in Egypt. So much so, that it’s one of the country’s favourite street foods.

The liver is cut very small. This means that it cooks in a very short time. It also means that the surface area of the liver is increased considerably and more of the wonderful spiced marinade can be absorbed.

The size of the liver is very important. It needs to cut to the size of short, skinny French Frys. About 0.5cm thick, 0.5cm deep and about 3 or 4cm long. When I first started making this dish, I mistakenly cut the liver to the size you might have in a stir fry. This caused real commotion amongst the Egyptian friends I was cooking for. They were convinced that this must be a Foreign dish because the size of the liver was all wrong. My husband is Egyptian and I love my Egyptian family and friends, but they are incredibly set in there ways when it comes to exactly how food should be prepared.

Ingredients

500g lambs Liver

For the Marinade

1 onion – grated
the zest and juice of 2 large lemons
3 garlic cloves – grated
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
a pinch of dried chilli flakes
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Additional Vegetables etc

2 onions – finely sliced
2 peppers – 1 red & 1 green – de-seeded and finely sliced
4 ripe tomatoes – chopped
1 stock cube – grated
1 red chilli – finely sliced into rings (optional)
a handful of fresh coriander leaves – finely chopped

a little cooking oil for frying

To serve Lambs Liver in a Sandwich – Egyptian Street Food Style

wedges of lemon
warm pitta bread
a little salad
tahini sauce

Method

Remember – Size really matters!

First, the liver needs to be cut.

Cut it into 0.5cm slices first.

Then lay each slice out and cut them into 0.5cm strips.

These then need to be cut to about 3 or 4cm long.

Prepare the Marinade ready for the Lambs Liver

Put all the ingredients for the marinade into a large bowl and mix thoroughly.

Add the prepared liver to the marinade. Turn the liver over, several times in the marinade to make sure that it’s all thoroughly coated & none of the liver has stuck together.

Cover the bowl with cling film or a lid of some sort and put it in the fridge for at least half an hour. You could leave it in there over-night if you wished.

When you’re ready to start cooking…

Heat a large frying pan over a high flame.

When it’s hot, add a couple of spoonfuls of cooking oil and allow that to really heat up.

Brown the onions & peppers first

Add the peppers and onions and cook until the onions begin to brown and the pepper softens.

Empty the onions and peppers into a bowl and set to one side

Then cook the lambs liver

Remove the liver from its marinade and drain thoroughly.

Return the pan to the heat and add a little more oil.

When the oil begins to sizzle add the liver to the pan. Spread it out as much as possible and just have a single layer. Initially, don’t move it around too much because you want it to brown.

*If you stir it, it will create steam and your liver will start to stew and turn grey. This is not what you’re looking for.

Provided your pan is hot enough, it should only take a couple of minutes for your liver to brown .

Once your liver is browned all over, add the chopped tomatoes to your pan and continue frying until they too brown slightly.

Sprinkle in the grated stock cube and mix well

Add the chilli (if you chose to add it).

Then return the fried onions and peppers to the pan and mix well.

Taste test time!

Check your seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Just before serving….

The fresh, chopped coriander leaves are added to the liver just before serving.

How to serve Lambs Liver with onions, peppers and tomatoes

In Egypt the favourite way to eat Lambs Liver is in a sandwich. The sandwich is made with warm pita bread and the liver is placed inside, along with a little fresh salad. Tahini dressing is then drizzled over highlighting all the glorious flavours. Wedges of lemon are then offered to add a wonderful citrus zing.