Kabda

Ingredients

Liver

• 700 glamb liver
• cut into small cubes
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• 1 teaspoonblack pepper

The pan

• 3tomatoes, chopped
• 2onions, chopped
• 6garlic cloves, crushed
• 3green chillies, chopped
• 2 teaspoonsground cumin
• 1 teaspoonground coriander
• 1 teaspoonblack pepper
• 4 tablespoonsoil
• or lamb fat
• juice of 1 lemon

To finish

• a handful of coriander, chopped
• 1tomato, chopped, for the top
• zhug or hot sauce

To serve

• khubz or malooj bread
• sliced onion
• the pan itself, at the table

Directions

1. Keep it cold right up to cooking. The pan is genuinely very hot. 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 small even sized cubes. Do not salt the liver before frying.
2. Salt draws moisture out of it. Season it once it is in the pan. This cooks in a matter of minutes. Chop the tomatoes, onions and chillies. Crush all of the garlic cloves. Set everything beside the pan. Set a wide heavy pan over a high heat. Let it get genuinely very hot.
3. Add the oil and swirl it round. It should shimmer before anything goes in. Add the liver cubes in one layer. Do not crowd the pan at any point. Let them sit for a full minute without moving. Then stir them and fry for two minutes.
4. Take it off if it looks done already. Lift the liver out and set it aside. The vegetables take longer than the liver. Add the chopped onions to the same pan. Fry them hard for about four minutes.
5. Add the garlic and the chillies. Fry them for one full minute more. Add the cumin and the coriander. Fry them for thirty seconds only. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan. Fry them hard for about five minutes. Let them break down and reduce. The pan should look thick rather than wet.
6. Return the liver to the hot pan. Toss it through the vegetables. Give it just one full minute only. Season it with salt and black pepper. Squeeze the lemon juice over it. Scatter the chopped coriander over it. Scatter fresh chopped tomato over that. Take the pan straight to the table. Serving it is done from the pan.
7. Set the hot pan on a board or a mat. Give plenty of warm flatbread. Tear the bread and scoop with it. Serve sliced raw onion alongside. Put zhug or hot sauce on the table. It must be eaten hot from the pan. Cook it fresh to order each time.

Technique

• Liver is extremely high in vitamin A, which builds up in the body and is harmful in excess; pregnant people are advised to avoid it because high retinol is linked to birth defects, and frequent eating is not advised for anyone.
• Liver must be cooked through but no further, since overcooked liver goes hard, grainy, bitter and metallic, and small cubes make that window narrower still.
• Do not salt the liver before frying, since salt draws moisture out and makes it stew rather than sear; season it once it is in the pan.

Substitutions

• Beef or chicken liver work, though lamb liver is the traditional choice.
• Any flat heavy pan works in place of a proper saj.

Variations

• Some cooks leave the liver in throughout, which makes it tougher.
• A version with more chilli is made for those who want heat.
• Zhug, the green chilli relish, is the usual thing served alongside.

History

Cooked to order on flat pans in Sanaa and Aden and eaten late, straight from the communal pan.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kabda?

Kabda is a street food from Yemen: lamb liver fried hard with tomato, chilli and cumin, scooped up with bread. Cooked to order on flat pans in Sanaa and Aden and eaten late, straight from the communal pan.

How long does Kabda take to make?

Kabda takes 20 minutes of preparation and 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Kabda?

Yes, within limits. Beef or chicken liver work, though lamb liver is the traditional choice. Any flat heavy pan works in place of a proper saj.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kabda?

Keep it cold right up to cooking. The pan is genuinely very hot. 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 small even sized cubes. Do not salt the liver before frying.