Kuyrdak: Kazakh Lamb Ribs and Offal Fried in Tail Fat

Steps

1. 1Cut the ribs and offal, and soak the kidney

   Separate the ribs into single bones, then chop each into 2 or 3 pieces. Cut the liver, heart and kidney into 1½-inch (4 cm) cubes, and put each kind in its own bowl. Leave the fat on the kidney and cover the kidney cubes with cold water for 30 minutes. The soak is working when the blood colour fades and the water turns cloudy; change the water when it does.

2. 2Slice the fat and prepare the vegetables

   While the kidney soaks, cut the tail fat into flat slabs about ¼–⅜ inch (0.7–1 cm) thick. Slice the onion into ¼-inch (5 mm) rings. Halve large potatoes and leave small and medium ones whole. If you use carrot, halve it lengthwise and cut it into 1¼–1½-inch (3–4 cm) lengths. Wash the parsley and shake it dry. You are ready when every bowl is filled and the kidney water runs pale.

3. 3Render the tail fat

   Heat the kazan thoroughly over medium heat, lay in the slabs of fat and stir constantly. As they melt, lift out the crisp golden cracklings with a slotted spoon. Leaving them in lets them burn and muddies the taste. The fat is ready when a shallow pool of clear fat covers the bottom and only a few cracklings are left.

4. 4Brown the ribs

   Spread the ribs over the hot fat in one layer. Leave them for a few minutes before the first turn, then stir only now and then. Keep going for at least 20 minutes. The ribs are done when the surfaces are deep brown, the meat around the bone is browned and brown bits cling to the bottom of the pot.

   Give the ribs their full time

   This is the longest frying in the recipe, and it builds the flavour. Ribs pulled early taste boiled once the lid goes on. Crowded ribs steam instead of browning, so fry them in two batches if they will not lie flat.

5. 5Fry the kidney and heart

   Drain the kidney and add it to the ribs together with the heart. Fry for 10 minutes, turning everything through the fat with the spatula. Keep the liver bowl beside the stove. They are ready when the outsides of the heart and kidney have turned from red to dull grey-brown and the pieces feel springy under the spatula.

6. 6Add the liver for five minutes

   Add the liver and fry for 5 minutes, turning it gently so the cubes stay whole. Cut one cube open to check the centre. The liver is done when the edges have set firm and no drops of blood seep from the cut face.

   Five minutes for the liver

   Liver turns dry and crumbly when it cooks too long and stays raw when it cooks too briefly. Adding it after the heart and kidney keeps its frying time short.

7. 7Fry the onion with salt and pepper

   Add the onion rings, all of the salt and the black pepper, plus the carrot if you are using it. Fry for 5 minutes, folding the onion through the fat and meat. Salting now seasons the meat before the potatoes go in. The onion is ready when the edges of the rings turn translucent and the fat and salt coat everything evenly.

8. 8Steam the potatoes under the lid

   Add the potatoes and turn them once through the fat. Close the lid tightly and cook over medium for 30–45 minutes without adding water; the meat and onion give off enough juice to steam them. Listen to the pot. If the soft bubbling turns into a dry sizzle, pour about 3 tablespoons (50 ml) of boiling water down the side. The potatoes are done when a skewer slides through with no resistance.

9. 9Heap it up and serve hot

   Taste and adjust the salt. Pile the kuyrdak high on a wide platter and scatter the coarsely chopped parsley over the top. Put baursak beside it and bring it to the table at once. It is ready when the platter is still steaming as people start eating.