Kazakhstani recipe
How to make Kuyrdak
Қуырдақ (quyrdaq)
All of Kazakhstan
A hearty dish of fried meat and offal, such as liver, heart and kidneys, cut small and cooked with onions in a cauldron. Nomads traditionally made it from a freshly slaughtered sheep, frying it in animal fat; potatoes, which reached the region in the 19th century, are often added today.
Ingredients
- 400 g lamb shoulder, cut into 2 cm pieces
- 300 g lamb liver and heart (or all liver), cut into 2 cm pieces
- 2 tablespoons lamb fat or vegetable oil
- 2 onions, sliced
- 2 potatoes, cut into cubes (optional)
- Salt, black pepper and a pinch of ground cumin
- Fresh parsley or dill to serve
Method
- Heat the fat in a heavy pan or wok until very hot. Fry the lamb pieces for 8 to 10 minutes until browned.
- Add the heart and fry for 5 minutes.
- Add the onions and potatoes, if using, with a splash of water. Cover and cook gently for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft, stirring now and then.
- Add the liver and fry uncovered for 3 to 4 minutes, until just cooked through with no pink juices. Liver becomes tough if overcooked.
- Season with salt, pepper and cumin, scatter with herbs and serve hot with bread.
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