In Nepal, a goat’s brain (gidi), feet (khutta), head (tauko), stomach skin (bhundi), tongue (jibro), liver (kalejo), kidney, lungs (phokso), fried intestines (aandra), fried solidified blood (rakati) are considered delicacies and are in very high demand in Dashain and during festivals.
I know some of you might feel squeamish even thinking about eating offal but believe me if you love your meat, you will love these dishes. Another is that eating offal uses the parts of the beast that might otherwise be wasted. As it takes 10 kilos of cereal to produce one kilo of meat, then we should not be wasting any part of the carcass. Unless you deliberately avoid meat, eating offal should be regarded as “green”.
As I am from Newar community so it is very common in our household to have these delicacies.
Most of you may not know it but fried lungs are one of the tastiest of delicacies. If done the right way, Phokso fried (fried lungs) are very tasty. AS was craving it when we were in Nepal. As we were a bit scared to eat out, my MIL decided to cook one at home and at the same time teach AS and me how to do it.
In order to have a perfect Phokso fried, you must make sure you buy fresh lungs without any punctures. In Nepal, they blow air into the lungs at the butcher’s to show that it is a good one.
Once lungs are ready, it must be cleaned properly to make sure there is no blood left in the vessels. To clean it, pour water in it through its trachea multiple times until all coagulated blood remaining in the lungs come out. At the end, pour a few tablespoonful of oil into each lung.
Ingredients:
- 1 khasi ko phokso (goat lungs)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 teaspoons turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoons coriander and cumin powder
- 1/4 teaspoons chilli powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic ginger paste
- 4 cups water
- kitchen strings
- 1 small potato to use as stopper
Process:
- Put the flour in a dish and place all ingredients over it. Mix all ingredients together until all lumps are gone. The mix should be a bit watery.
- To make sure there are no lumps in the mixture; strain the mixture through the strainer. Use whisker if required.
- Fill a plastic bag (we used milk bag in Nepal but you can use zip lock bag) with the mixture. Place the end of the trachea into the opening of the bag and clamp your fingers over them to seal them. Pump the mixture in the bag into the trachea.
- When the lungs become full you will notice that the outer skin will be smooth and shiny.
- When the lungs are full, don’t just let the trachea go as the lungs will pump the mixture out quite rapidly. Keep holding the trachea!
- To seal the trachea, peel and cut the potato and insert the cut potato into the opening of the trachea. Shove it inside then fold and seal trachea by tying with a kitchen string. This will make sure the batter doesn’t flow out while it is being boiled.
- In a big pot, boil water and add turmeric powder.
- Add the lungs and cook it. You may need to turn it over to make sure all sides get cooked.
- Once the lungs are cooked, let it cool down before cutting it.
- Slice the lungs into pieces a few centimetres thick pieces.
- In a fry pan, heat oil and lay the sliced lungs in one layer.
- Once one side is crispy and brown in colour, turn and fry the other side.
- Take the fried lungs out on a plate.
- Mix salt, chill power and cumin powder in the plate.
- Sprinkle this mix on the fried lungs.
- It is best served hot.
- Enjoy!!!
