GRILLED CHICKEN LIVER: MOCAMBO COMES HOME

For those who have grown up loving the food at a certain eatery, just off Park Street in Central Kokata, they will never forget the taste of a plate of Grilled Liver.The unmistakable taste of Mocambo. The cozy joint which serves up culinary legacies as if we are still in the days of the Raj.Every trip to Kolkata means at least one meal there.We usually kick start our evening with a dinner at Mocambo, and Grilled Liver is something we order always.I guess I have lost count on how much me and hubby have spent collectively in that eatery. But the place has its own charm. The food, the taste, the beer in the silvery mugs, the dim red lights over every table: the combo just never fails.

With our current Kolkata trip standing cancelled, I was not in the brightest of moods.All that I had so meticulously planned had been given the boot.Moreover I was having an apathy for the last few days, for the kitchen.It was just those days, when you just do not feel like cooking. So my Iron Chef decided to heal the situation in his signature style.He took over kitchen duties, and ensured that I do not crib much for the cancelled trip.He decided to cook and I decided to pick up my DSLR and capture it.He brought Mocambo home in Kansas City. Grilled Liver with mushrooms, onions,peas and loads of butter was enough to bring a beaming smile on my face. The way I polished off my plate was proof enough of the fact that the negativity had vanished from my system. The liver was grilled to perfection.The mushrooms had been hit with a dash of cayenne pepper, so whenever you bit into one, you had the right amount of heat in the dish.It was simply Kolkata served on a platter on a cold winter night out here in the Midwest. What could I want more?!

GRILLED LIVER: 
Ingredients: 
Chicken Liver: 1 lb
Ginger paste: 1 1/2 tbsp
Garlic paste: 1 1/2 tbsp
Red Wine Vinegar: 2 tbsp plus 1 tbsp
Salt: to taste:
Chicken Boulion: 1 1/2 tbsp
Butter: 1 stick
Peas: A handful
Onions: 1 medium sized one,cut in slivers
Button Mushrooms: 6-8,cut in chunks
Cayenne Pepper: 1 tsp

Procedure: 
Marinate the cleaned chicken liver with vinegar and ginger-garlic paste and chicken bouillon for an hour. As Andrew Zimmern would say,the marination ensures that the liver does not have a 'gamey flavour,' to it.

Add butter to the grill/skillet and then add the onion slivers and the marinated liver. Discard the residual liquid.

Brown the liver properly on the grill. You have to be careful so that they do not get charred.Add in some red wine vinegar and salt and keep searing.

Create a space in one corner of the grill, and throw in the mushrooms. Season them with salt and a dash of cayenne pepper.

Add in the peas to the party. We believe in going green to a  certain extent after all.

Some more butter.

Ensure that everything is well integrated. Check for seasoning and serve hot.

Next time you are missing eating out at Mocambo, you know what will set the mood at home.

Bon Appetit!!