OFFAL ADVENTURES A FAMILY FAVOURITE

PREPARING THE HEART: Use a thin, sharp knife to cut off the skin that covers the beef heart, then remove as much visible fat as possible from the heart’s outer surface. If the heart you’ve purchased hasn’t already been split into two connected pieces, cut it open, leaving enough of one side of the meat attached so that you can spread the two parts of the heart apart, butterfly-style. The beef heart can have large pockets of fat on the inside; cut these out and remove them. There will be a number of pieces of connective tissue attached to ti on the inside and outside. Cut and discard these. After trimming the beef heart, rinse it under cool running water, and cut it into cubes. Then place it in a bowl with cold salted water and apple cider vinegar for up to 6 hours. Remove the heart and discard all of the water.

HEAT 2 tablespoons of ghee in a flat bottom pot, add the onion, ginger, and garlic, sauté on a low heat till the onion is translucent. Add all the ingredients from turmeric powder to paprika powder along with 1 cup of stock. Stir well for 2-3 minutes. Cover and cook on low heat.

ADD 2 tablespoons of ghee in a large skillet on medium-high heat, and seal the heart meat in small batches so that you just quickly sear the surface. Add the salt and the meat to the onion gravy and stir well to coat with the spices.

IN the meantime, deglaze the skillet with ¼ cup of warm water, scraping all the nice brown bits from the bottom and pouring the deglazing liquid into the gravy. Add the second cup of stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the flame to simmer and cook for about 1 hour, until the heart is very tender and the liquid is reduced. Add the poppy seed paste, and mix well.

SPRINKLE the powder of cardamom, cinnamon, roasted pepper, and clove. Add apricot and lemon to the pot. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the liquid has thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Remove from heat and sprinkle with sawtooth coriander. Serve with any kind of pulao.