I heart ...

Other than liver, V has never had any other offal. So to introduce him to one of my fav 5: Heart, i made this for dinner last night.

Serves 4

4 lamb hearts

1 1/2 onions chopped

5 garlic cloves - 3 minced, 2 peeled

1 1/2 inch ginger minced

1 cup chicken broth

3 bay leaves

7 whole peppercorns

7 cloves

3 cardamom pods

1/2" cinnamon stick

4 green chillies cut lengthwise

1 can of tomatoes

Cut heart lenthwise into 4 parts. Trim the fat off each part and cut into 3-4 pieces each. They should be bite size pieces. Soak the cut peices in warm water for 10 mins until all the blood has been washed out.

Heat 2 tbsps of oil in a pressure cooker. Add 5 peppercorns, 3 cloves, 2 peeled garlic cloves and saute it for a minute. Add hearts and saute until they are lightly browned on all sides. Add cup of broth, 2 green chillie, 1/2 onion and pressure cook for about 20 mins until the heart is done.

In the meantime, heat some oil and add the rest of cloves, peppercorns, cardamom and cinnamon. Saute for a minute and then add garlic and ginger with onions. Cook until onions are browned. Add tomatoes, turmeric, chillies and salt. Cook until the tomato-onion mix is almost dry and paste-like. Add the hearts to this mix and a bit of the stock from the pressure cooker to give a more sauce like consistency. Stir and heat through. Make sure heart pieces are well coasted with the sauce. Sprinkle 1 tsp of garam masala and garnish with fresh coriander.

Kardhai Gurda (Lamb kidney with green pepper)

Makes 4 servings

2 pairs of lamb kidneys

1 medium onion chopped

3 tbsps of tomato paste - I use the one from whole foods, half the can is more than enough. You could also try using a small fresh tomato.

4 cloves of garlic minced - about 2 tbsp

1 inch piece of ginger minced

3 green chillies chopped

1 green pepper cubed

3 tbsps chopped coriander leaves

1 tsp red chilli powder

2 tsps garam masala

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Salt to taste

Soak kidneys in 2 cups of water with 3 tbsp of salt for 20 mins to clean out residual blood. If kidneys are not halal or kosher, leave it in the water for atleast 30 mins. Rinse the kidneys until they are deep maroon in color and not red. Cut the kidneys in half and remove the core of white connective tissue. Chop the kidneys in 1/4 - 1/2 inch pieces.

Heat 2 tbsps of oil in a kardhai. Add onions and green pepper. Season with salt and let cook until it begins to brown. Now add ginger, garlic, green chillis, all the spices, 2 tbsps of chopped coriander and tomato paste with a little water so the spices don't burn. Cook until the spices are blended well with the tomato paste and there is maybe a tbsp of liquid left. Now add the kidneys, salt and about 3 tbsps of water. Cover and cook until kidneys are done, approx 15 mins. To check doneness - split a piece of kidney to check if its the uniform greyish-brown through without any purple. Garnish with the rest of coriander leaves.

We had a side of veggies sauteed in toasted sesame seed oil seasoned with salt and pepper.