Miriam Malaquias

Maini ya Ng’ombe ya kukaanga

I love beef liver so much. I could have never eaten enough of liver when I was a kid in Tanzania! Liver is a delicacy in Tanzania. Most of our beef is grass fed, so you can imagine how tasty the liver is. I can taste it while writing this.

The trick is to either cut thin slices and cook on very high heat; or cut chunks but cook on very high heat first then change to medium when darken outside. Over-cooked liver is hard to chew. So be very careful. In Tanzania, we do not marinade out liver with too much. Liver by itself taste very nice, you basically need only salt and garlic if you want. I personally find cumin adds a very unique flavor.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb. (3/4 kg.) beef liver (cut in thin slices, like bread slices)
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. whole cumin
• 1 tbsp. fresh minced ginger
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup cooking oil or more

Stir-Fried Onions

• 1 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1 tbsp. minced ginger
• 1 tsp. cumin powder

Instructions

1. Marinate beef liver with salt, garlic, black pepper, and ginger. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry the liver until the bottom looks cooked, then turn and cook the other side, add 2 tablespoons of water to moisten the liver. Remove and set aside.
3. In the same pan, sauté onions, ginger, and cumin powder until almost cooked.
4. Serve the liver and garnish with the stir-fried onions.