Sautéed Liver with Indian Spices

Jennifer McLagan's cookbook, Odd Bits, shares offal recipes for home cooks that taste better than they sound—as in her spicy Indian-style liver.

1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, halved
2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 serrano chile, chopped
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2 cardamom pods—seeds removed and crushed, pods discarded
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup lamb or beef stock or canned beef broth
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound lamb liver, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces, or chicken livers, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
Salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Steamed white rice, for serving

In a food processor, finely chop the onion, garlic, ginger, cumin, chile, turmeric, cardamom and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Add the water and pulse to make a soupy paste.
In a medium skillet, melt the butter. Add the paste and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until almost dry, 5 minutes. Add the stock and simmer over low heat, stirring, until the sauce is thickened, about 8 minutes.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Season the liver with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat until browned on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderate, turn the liver and cook until medium within, about 2 minutes. Add the liver to the sauce and simmer for 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve with rice.