Chicken liver pepper fry

The only reason liver pepper fry is on my list of favorites is because the one my mom makes happens to be the best in the world! But my dad always disagrees and says that the best liver pepper fry he has had is the one my mom’s mother used to make! At this point, let me say that my husband, who never liked liver fry, now loves it after having the one I made one day. So maybe it’s fair to say that the knack for making this has been passed from my grandmom to my mom and now onto me! Also, my son, who is a very picky eater, seems to be a convert now as he happily polished off a whole piece today, much to my delight....

Anyway, yesterday when my mom was cooking this, I watched each and every step and ingredient and measurement she used, with a hawk's eye, just to make sure I could replicate her taste later on....I think this is the first time one of the dishes my mom herself cooked has been photographed and featured here.  So here’s to this recipe, which uses only the simplest of ingredients and will cook in about 20 minutes.

      To serve 4

1. 450 g chicken liver, washed and kept in a colander to drain off the water
2. 2 large onions, cut into thick slices
3. 1 pod garlic, cut into thick slices
4. 1 green chilly, slit lengthwise
5. 1 large tomato, chopped
6. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
7. 1 sprig curry leaves (optional)
8. 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh and coarsely ground pepper
9. 2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
10. Salt to taste

• In a wok/kadai, heat the oil and add in the curry leaves, onions, garlic and green chilly, all at once. Fry until the onions turn translucent.
• Then add the tomatoes, liver and turmeric powder (at the same time) and season with salt.
• Stir it around on high heat for about a minute, then cover with a lid and let it simmer for about 10 minutes (it's a good idea to give it a stir in between, especially if your utensil is not nonstick).
• Now remove the lid and stir it again, letting it simmer for another 10 minutes until the liver and onions become a light crispy golden color.
• Sprinkle the pepper on top, mix again, and serve hot.

TIPS:
This tastes best when it is dry and crispy, but if you want a little gravy, then just keep cooking it with the lid on for about 15 minutes.
This dish is quite versatile and goes with just about anything from breads to rotis to rice.