Ingredients
Offal
- 500 glamb liver
- 300 glamb heart
- 200 glamb kidney, optional
- 200 glamb tail fat
- or 200 g fatty lamb
To season
- 2 teaspoonssalt
- 2 teaspoonsblack pepper
- 1 teaspoonground turmeric, optional
- juice of 1 lemon
To serve
- flatbread, sangak or lavash
- salt and sumac
- sliced raw onion
- fresh basil and mint
- grilled tomatoes
- doogh, the yoghurt drink
Directions
- Keep it cold right up to cooking. Liver must be cooked through but not further. Rinse the liver in cold water. Pat the whole liver completely dry.
- Peel off the thin outer membrane. It comes away if you get a corner started. Cut out any large tubes or gristle. Cut it into cubes about three centimetres. Preparing the heart takes more work.
- Cut the heart open lengthways. Cut out the tough white valves inside. Trim off the fat and sinew at the top. Rinse out any of the blood clots. Cut it into cubes the same size. It takes slightly longer to cook. Cut each of the kidneys in half. Cut out the white core with scissors.
- Soak them in cold salted water. Give them a good thirty minutes. Rinse and dry them thoroughly. Cut the tail fat into small cubes. Aim for about two centimetres. Salt draws moisture out of liver. That makes it dry rather than juicy.
- Season it after grilling instead. Thread liver, heart and fat alternately. Put a cube of fat between each piece. Do not pack them tightly together. Leave a small gap between pieces. Use flat metal skewers if you have them. Wait until the coals are covered in grey ash.
- Spread them out into an even bed. The heat should be strong but not flaming. Lay the skewers over the coals. Turn them over every minute or so. Give them about six minutes in total.
- Cut one cube open to check the first skewer. It should be cooked through with no red. Take them off the moment they are ready. Serving them is done immediately. Scatter salt and sumac over them. Serve sliced raw onion alongside. They do not keep at all well once cold. Grill them to order each time.
Technique
- Cubes of tail fat threaded between the offal are not optional: liver is extremely lean and dries out fast, and the melting fat bastes it while dripping into the coals to smoke it.
- Liver is extremely high in vitamin A and very high intake is harmful and builds up over time; pregnant people are advised to avoid liver because high retinol is linked to birth defects, and eating it very frequently is not advised for anyone.
- Liver must be cooked through but no further, since overcooked liver goes hard, grainy, bitter and metallic, and salt before grilling draws moisture out, so season it afterwards.
Substitutions
- Fatty lamb stands in for tail fat where dombeh is unavailable.
- Flat metal skewers hold the meat in place, and two round skewers side by side also work.
Variations
- Kidney is threaded alongside the liver and heart in many shops.
- Some cooks add turmeric before grilling and others season only afterwards.
- Doogh, salted yoghurt thinned with water, is the fixed drink alongside.
History
Jigaraki shops open in the evening and grill to order; the skewers are counted rather than weighed.
Frequently asked questions
What is Jigaraki?
Jigaraki is a street food from Iran: lamb liver, heart and fat grilled on skewers, eaten with bread and salt. Jigaraki shops open in the evening and grill to order; the skewers are counted rather than weighed.
How long does Jigaraki take to make?
Jigaraki takes 30 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Jigaraki?
Yes, within limits. Fatty lamb stands in for tail fat where dombeh is unavailable. Flat metal skewers hold the meat in place, and two round skewers side by side also work.
What is the most important thing to get right in Jigaraki?
Keep it cold right up to cooking. Liver must be cooked through but not further. Rinse the liver in cold water. Pat the whole liver completely dry.
