Kamounia

Ingredients

Offal

• 1 kglamb liver, heart and kidney, in 2 cm cubes
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tspsalt

Pot

• 3 tbspoil or samna
• 2onions, chopped
• 6 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 3tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsptomato paste
• 500 mlwater

Spice

• 3 tbspground cumin
• 1 tspground coriander
• 1 tspturmeric
• 1 tspblack pepper
• ½ tspground cinnamon
• 1 tspchilli powder
• salt

To finish

• 1 tbspcumin, extra
• juice of 1 lemon
• coriander

To serve

• bread
• rice

Directions

1. Trim the offal carefully: cut the hard core out of the kidneys, the tubes out of the heart, and any membrane off the liver.
2. Soak the pieces in cold water with lemon juice and salt for 30 minutes, then drain and pat them dry.
3. The soak takes away the strong metallic edge, and drying them properly afterwards is what lets them sear rather than steam.
4. Fry the onions in the oil until soft and golden, then add the garlic.
5. Add the heart and kidney first, brown them, and cook them for 45 minutes with the tomatoes, tomato paste and water.
6. Heart and kidney go in first and liver last. Heart needs the better part of an hour and liver needs about ten minutes, and cooked together the liver turns to grit.
7. Add most of the cumin along with the other spices.
8. The name comes from kammun, cumin, and it goes in by the tablespoon rather than the teaspoon. Under-cumined, it is simply an offal stew.
9. Add the liver for the last 10 to 15 minutes only.
10. Simmer until the sauce has reduced and thickened around the meat and the oil separates at the edges.
11. Stir in the extra spoonful of cumin off the heat.
12. Adding cumin twice, half cooked in and half at the end, gives both the depth and the fresh sharp hit.
13. Finish with lemon juice and chopped coriander, and check the salt.
14. Serve hot with bread for scooping, or over rice.
15. It is eaten across Sudan and is close kin to the Egyptian and Libyan dishes of the same name.

Technique

• The liver must stay just cooked. Overcooked liver is the single most common failure and it cannot be rescued.
• It is often made with liver alone, which is quicker and just as traditional.
• It is common at Eid, when the offal from the sacrifice is cooked first.

Substitutions

• Beef offal in place of lamb.
• Liver alone, cooking the whole thing in about 20 minutes.

Variations

• Made with liver only.
• With more chilli, as in eastern Sudan.
• Drier, cooked down until there is no sauce at all.

History

A cumin-heavy stew of liver, lung and heart cooked soon after slaughter; the name comes from kammun, cumin, and it is a butcher’s-market dish.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kamounia?

Kamounia is a soup & stew from Sudan: offal and cumin stew, slow-simmered until rich. A cumin-heavy stew of liver, lung and heart cooked soon after slaughter; the name comes from kammun, cumin, and it is a butcher’s-market dish.

How long does Kamounia take to make?

Kamounia takes 30 min of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Kamounia?

Yes, within limits. Beef offal in place of lamb. Liver alone, cooking the whole thing in about 20 minutes.

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

The soak takes away the strong metallic edge, and drying them properly afterwards is what lets them sear rather than steam.