STORY OF VEGETARIAN METE CHA-CHADI (LIVER FRY)

WARNING: THIS IS NOT A VEG DISH
VEGETARIAN METE CHACHADI sounds crazy??

Many years back, in a small gathering at home, I was reading out the simple diner menu.

"To start with you will have vegetarian mete chachaDi, with hot rice and green chili, followed by Dal, fish and then vege Mutton."

There was  obvious roars, " Ghosh has gone crazy...what do you mean by vege liver, vege mutton...stupid ..and etc etc."

I continued " Actually in many culture onion and garlic are treated as non-veg, like old traditional Bengali veg dishes, all Kashmiri dishes (including mutton) , Jain dishes are devoid of onion and garlic. Similarly meat from a " Boli-r patha" ( sacrificed animal) during Puja is regarded as Prashad and always cooked without onion and Garlic. I have seen hardcore vege Brahman friends eat this "meat Prashad". So I call these dishes veg meat preparation, " Pyar-se".

So since then we call these dishes ( devoid of Garlic onion) as Veg-Nonveg dishes or Veg Mutton, just for fun only.

THE RECIPE 

In a remote place in Orissa where I spent my childhood, meat or liver was not available much. The man would slaughter one goat if he saw enough customer else one had to come next day.

Every body needed a piece of liver, and it used to be very tiny piece for each and sold with mutton. It was so small that you couldn't cook any dish with the liver. There were many people at home who wanted a piece of liver, so it could not be put in the meat curry.

My mother used to chop them into very small pieces and fry them...

It is one of my favorites and often a party  dish when liver fans are there

 Here it is 

CAUTION . This should be tried by foodies who appreciate the typical light aroma of liver in original form, unmasked by the riot of garlic, ginger, onion, spices.

INGREDIENTS

1.Liver  200 gms ( mutton, Lamb, ( Beef can be used) NO CHICKEN LIVER, I don't like it , never used it). You can try with 50 gm also if you are not sure if you would like it.

2. Turmeric 11/2  level tsp

3. green chili 7, or more, ( 3 chili broken into 2 -3 pieces for seasoning, rest for garnishing) 

4. Kalo Jeere ( Kala jeera, Kalounji) 1 level tsp

5 Oil 1tbsp to 11/2 tbsp

6 salt to taste

PROCESS

cut the liver into tiny pieces 8 to 12 mm, 

Heat  Oil in a Kadhai ( I don't use non-stick ones for most Indian dishes).

Add the Kalo jeera and green chili seasoning, keep stirring and when the green chili turns white to very light brown, add the liver.

Add salt and turmeric powder,Keep frying , until the liver changes color ( about 3 minutes).

Add 1/2 cup water 

simmer for 7-8 minutes covered. ( Liver is generally cooked in 3-5 minutes and remains soft, any heating beyond 5 minutes makes it  stiff, but cooked). Here in this recipe , the liver will be stiff but cooked.)

Remove cover and dry out the water while stirring  allow the material to stick to the Kadhai.

IMPORTANT. When sufficient material sticks to the wall, reduce heat put 1 to 2 tbsp water,  and scratch out  the sticky material in water, and mix with the liver.

Picture below , material sticking to the Kadhai just before adding water

Most stuck material taken out with water and being mixed

Repeat this process 3 times , i.e allow the material to stick 3 times and remove with water and mix 3 times. In Badshahi cooking it is called " BHUNO THRICE" ( fry 3 times) , it can be bhuno twice, 4 times...etc depending upon Chef's whims :-)

( I remember, when I was young, many people who learnt this dish from me would come back and say " I cooked it, was very nice, but nowhere near yours". Obviously it wouldn't have been , because I never told this Bhuno thrice business to them..Looking back I feel sad, I was so mean....but feel bit better when I think that most great  Chefs don't share every thing)

Reduce heat , add rest of the green chili and  mix 

Remove into a dish and eat , straight or with rice

RESCUE OPERATION 

After making this, if you find it is just not edible or you don't like it...here is the good news...Proceed as usual from here, ginger garlic paste, onion, tomato , garam masala , diced Potato et al..recover the dish and  devour

This is not a part of the dish , it is for you dear foodies