Kuyrdak

Kuyrdak is a Kazakh dish of fried offal, usually liver, cooked with potatoes and onions. It is a traditional dish of Kazakhstan, cooked in a single pan and eaten hot, often shared at the table. Lamb is the usual meat cooked alongside the liver, and black pepper is the main seasoning.

What it really is

Liver, lamb and potato are cut into pieces and fried in fat in a wide pan, with sliced onion cooked alongside until soft and golden. Black pepper goes in during frying, and salt is added to taste. The fat is usually lamb fat, which gives the dish its rich, savoury flavour.

Liver cooks quickly and turns dry and firm if it is overcooked, so it is fried for less time than the meat and potatoes. The result is a dish that is fried rather than stewed: the pieces brown at the edges, and the potatoes take on the flavour of the pan.

How it's served

• Hot, straight from the pan, usually in a single shared dish.
• With bread, which is the common accompaniment for eating the fried meat and potatoes.
• As a main course on its own, with the potatoes and onions cooked in with the meat rather than served separately.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the liver first, since it is the main ingredient, and state the animal it comes from.
• List lamb, potato, onion and black pepper as the standard ingredients, so guests who avoid lamb or want to know what is in the pan can decide.
• The classic recipe contains no major allergen, but flag any flour, butter, cream or sauce your kitchen adds.
• State that the dish is pan-fried and served hot, and whether the liver is cooked through or lightly done.