Kidney Masala (Lamb Kidney Masala)

It is a simple recipe in which Lamb kidneys are cooked with tomato puree and fried onions. Deghi Mirch gives it a color and freshly ground garam masala gives it aroma.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Lamb’s kidneys
• 1 Bay Leaves
• 3-4 Cloves
• ½ tsp Caraway seeds
• 1 Brown Cardamom
• 2 medium Onions sliced
• 1 tsp Ginger finely chopped
• 1 tsp Garlic finely chopped
• 1 tsp Green Chilies finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Coriander Powder
• ½ tsp fennel seeds powder
• 1 tsp Deghi Mirch Powder
• ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp Fresh Garam Masala Powder
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice (optional)
• 3-4 tbsp ghee

Method:

• Clean, trim, wash Lamb’s kidneys and cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Dip in boiled water for 2 minutes, strain and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan. Add bay leaves, cloves, Caraway seeds, Brown Cardamom and fry for 4-5 seconds. Add sliced onions and sauté till onions turn brown in color.
• Add chopped ginger, chopped garlic and chopped green chilies, coriander powder, Deghi Mirch powder, turmeric powder, fennel powder and tomato puree. Stir well.
• Add kidney pieces and 2-3 tbsp water; cook covered on medium heat till kidney pieces are almost done. You may add some water if needed while cooking.
• Add salt and garam masala powder; cook without lid till all the water is evaporated and kidney masala is dry ‘bhuna’ (fried).
• Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and lemon juice.
• Serve with Tandoori Roti or Paratha.

Do You Know:

Garam Masala is the heart of most Indian dishes. A combination of different spices, it probably has as many recipes as there are families in India. Once you get a feel for the taste it gives your cooking, experiment and alter it to suit your needs.

Some common ingredients of garam masala are black & white peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, long pepper (also known as pippali), black cumin (known as shahi jeera), cumin seeds, cinnamon, black & brown & green cardamom, nutmeg, mace, and star anise, coriander seeds. I have mentioned one recipe of garam masala in this blog in the secion-‘Do You Know’.

Garam masala can be used in two forms: the whole and individual spices purchased separately, and the ground mixture made from the spices.

When commercially ground garam masala is used in dishes, it is often added at the end of cooking so that the full aroma is not lost.

Whole garam masala, however, is added with the fat/oil/ghee for a more pungent flavour.

These are heated in oil to release their aroma before being combined with food.