Each day, we learn something new. When it comes to cooking specificaly, you can never say you know everything. Someone will always know something you do not know. That means, we all have something to learn from the other. For the longest time, we used to boil our liver before cooking it. This was until aunty Kabura upgraded us and told us that step was totally unnecessary. I tried it out and this was the softest liver ever. I added a #KK twist to it and this was just elevated to level 100! You will enjoy my thyme and chili liver just as much.
COOK TIME: 30 MINUTES SERVES: 5
Ingredients
1/2 a kg of liver
1 large tomato, grated
1 red onion, finely diced
6 cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of thyme
1/2 of thumbsized ginger root
1 small birds eye chilli
1.2 a cup of milk
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 green bell pepper
1 tablespoon of royco
salt to taste
coriander for garnish
Method.
If you look closely, there is a thin membrane coating the liver. Remove that membrane. It peels off like sellotape and makes the liver super soft.Chop it up and rinse it in running water to remove excess blood. Mine took three rinses. Some people like their liver bloody so they may not choose to rinse, but I like mine rinsed. Feel free to do what you feel comfortable doing.
There after, soak the liver in your milk for 30 minutes. I soak my liver in milk so that it can further soften and absorb any toxins that may be present. IMPORTANT step! As that is going, crush your garlic, chili, ginger and dried thyme in a kinu (pestle and mortar) until it forms a paste.
In a pan, heat some vegetable oil. Add your onions, garlic-chili-ginger paste, half of your finely diced bell pepper,salt and pepper. Saute this for about 5 minutes or until it is fragrant. Do not burn this.
After this, add the tomatoes, your worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and tomato paste and let this simmer down for about 5-8 minutes. This allows all the flavors to meld and for the tomato paste to cook down. When cooking with tomato paste, always allow it to cook down so that you get its richness.
Rinse the milk off your liver, drain the excess water and add this to your tomatoes. Also add the remaining green bell pepper and let this saute for 5-10 minutes. It cooks really fast so keep your eye on it. You can shallow fry this separately then add it to the tomatoes, however I like adding them to the tomatoes at this point so that they soak up all the flavors as they cook through.
Take one piece and cut it to ascertain that it is cooked through. Once you are certain it is done add your diced coriander and serve.
This was the softest liver I have ever made. It was so soft, it almost just melts in your mouth. Looking at this picture makes me want to cook this again and have it with some hot ugali and fresh creamed kunde. You can also have this with rice, mashed potatoes, matoke, chapati or any other starch you prefer.
The taste of liver is fabulously brought out by garlic and red onion. Dried thyme also brings out its savoriness and takes it a notch higher, and goes really well with other meat dishes too. That was my twist to this. Be careful not to go overboard with dried thyme as it can very easily overpower everything. A little goes a long way.
To more kitchen adventures!
-K
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Hey there! My name is Kaluhi and I love food! Through my blog, I am happy to share with you my self-taught recipes, steeped in nostalgia and the happiest of memories. I hope each recipe you try out is as addictive as the previous one and is shared on a table full of love and hearty laughs!
Hi Kaluhi this looks mouthwatering, it could probably go well with some fufu…. Am looking forward when you’ll do a post on fufu.
Thank you so much irene! I have very very very little experience with west african food. But I could learn, though no promises 😀
Stay blessed.
Heeeey!
I am so happy(almost jumping up and down!) This is it!!! I have been looking for ways to make my liver taste better; Then Kaluhi’s kitchen happened! Thanks for the blog and i love it! you are precise and top notch photos too! Again THIS IS It. I am Home.
Thanks. Be blessed.
You have no idea how good your comment hs made me feel! Considering I do everything on my blog on my own, it fees great to know that you like it and it adds value to your life :))). You are home! Karibu to the #KKfam!
xx
Waah???????? this is so good
You got that right! #MUSTTRY
Love, Love, Love can’t wait to try it out next week, you’re just the best
You will enjoy this too, Emmah! :))
Great recipe. Can’t wait to try it out but I need a clarification on the milk part. Is it 1/2 a cup?
Yes, it is 1/2 a cup of milk
i will definitely give it a try….
I have no doubt that you will enjoy this :))
Kaluhi your liver looks nice (labour of love lol!!) but could you post for us some recipes of grains e.g. how to make a really delicious ndengu, chick peas, lentils dish etc. I’m not a vegetarian but I’m trying to increase my intake of grains which I’m eating with brown chapatis etc. but the spices aren’t just coming out right.
There is a ndengu recipe on the blog already. Do look that up
Seen it thanks.
Yum!
I hope you are planning on trying this out :))
definitely had to try this and I love it…salivated even after eating
hey why do you remove the thin layer and what does the milk do to the liver. i am just curious. it looks really good cant wait to cook it.
The thin layer tightens when you cook it , which makes your liver tough. So it has to be removed. I add milk to draw out any excess blood. I think I wrote this in the blog post above, but if I had not, let me just confirm and add this info.
xx
Its good to see people bring in a twist to dishes. Its makes meals super interesting. Keep it up. #teamkaluhi
Team Kaluhi all the way! I am so glad yo enjoy what I put out and glad it is adding value to your life :)))
Gal! Thanks I am going to cook this tomorrow!!! Meanwhile thanks for the hint about removing the thin film, sikujua! As for the milk……….. gal you rock! Thanks and keep it up. I was here for two recipes ya liver na chicken in coconit sauce….peace
You are most welcome! I do hope you enjoy every recipe you attempt :)))
Vuchee Kaluhi,
I cooked my minced meat over the weekend, the exact same away with the ingredients (of course minus the milk process). OH MY the taste was to die for, I licked my plate clean
Vuchee Daisy!
I am soooooooo happy you liked this, I actually feel like preparing liver tonight too :)). Cheers to many many more awesomeness!
Tried this today. It was beyond AWESOME!
bumped into this blog by chance n am happy I did i have read most recipes but this caught my eye about the milk n the film wouldn’t have thought of that. learnt something new. I definitely have to try it out. Thanks.
Hey Brian! Karibu sana to the #KK family 🙂 I am so glad you like the recipes you have checked out. We indeed learn something new each day, myself included. I hope you try this out :))
Thank God For Instagram!! That’s where I found you! Genius recipes.. I love this Chilli and Thyme Liver throwdown.. But the garlic marinade is still my fave.. Keep it up Kaluhi!!????????
Karibu sana to the #KK family. I hope you enjoy this liver recipe. Iy is one of my alltime favorite liver recipes :))
Hey Kaluhi,
As usual great recipe…Quick one though..When do you add the thyme??It is not mentioned in the post. As well as salt..I completely forgot to add salt and I realized too late. I added the thyme after adding the meat..Yet to eat it tho. I cant eat after cooking..*sigh*
Hey!
I have mentioned thyme. I crushed it with the chilli and garlic. Just reread once more. Adding the thyme after the liver is cooked may actually negatively affect the taste of the end result. Next time, read the post slowly so that you don’t skip any step because it affects the end result.
Also, when I write my post, I never mention the exact time to add salt or the quantity since everyone has different preferences. it is up to the person cooking to apply their own judgment and decide how much salt they need and when they should add it. Salt is an essential ingredient to bringing out the taste of food. therefore even when I don’t include it, you have to use your own judgment and decide how much you need to add.
Hi Kaluhi,
I prepared this today for my dinner. It turned out amazing. I used chicken liver.
Awesome!!!!!! I am so so glad you enjoyed this. I will try it next with chicken liver
I was frustrated cooking liver to the point i gave it up, coz it alwayz ended up mushy, thanks to your recipe i will def. give it a try once again.
Kuddos!
I also hope this forever changes your mind about liver. You can also try out my garlic paprika liver recipe still on this blog :)) Cheers! :))
Kaluhi You are truly blessed.
Thank you <3