This jaghoor baghoor Saffron Recipe is a slow-cooked lamb offal dish with plenty of onion, lemon, saffron and parsley. Heart, kidney and lung are cooked first; liver joins later so every piece becomes fully cooked without turning equally firm.
Jaghoor baghoor is also written jaghur baghur or simply baghoor in English. The name refers to the mixed-offal dish, while individual recipes differ in the organs and seasonings they include.
Ingredients
- 500 g lamb liver
- 2 lamb hearts
- 2 lamb kidneys
- 1 cleaned lamb lung (“white liver” in the old recipe), only if legally available from an inspected butcher
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) fresh lemon juice, divided
- 4 medium onions
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) saffron infusion
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 25 g (1/2 cup) chopped flat-leaf parsley
Buy offal from a licensed butcher and keep it refrigerated until preparation. If lung is not sold for human consumption where you live, omit it rather than substituting an uninspected product.
Trim the organs separately
Pat the organs dry; splashing or washing raw meat can spread contamination around the sink. Trim tubes and large vessels from the hearts, then cut the meat into 2 cm pieces.
Split each kidney lengthwise and remove the firm white core. Cut the remaining kidney into bite-sized pieces. Trim membranes and visible ducts from the liver, but keep the liver in a separate bowl because it cooks quickly.
If using lung, ask the butcher to prepare it for cooking. Cut it into small pieces and parboil in plain water for 20 minutes, then drain. Heart, kidney, lung and liver should never be treated as if they have the same cooking time.
Make the saffron-onion marinade
Finely grate 1 onion and combine it with half the lemon juice, half the saffron infusion and black pepper. Add the heart, kidneys and drained lung, cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
Mix the liver with 2 tablespoons of the same marinade only during the final 20 to 30 minutes. A full acidic soak can make its fine texture grainy. Prepare a strong infusion using our saffron-brewing guide.
Brown the onions and firm organs
Thinly slice the remaining 3 onions. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pan over medium heat and cook the onions for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until deep golden.
Lift the heart, kidney and lung from the marinade and let excess liquid drip away. Add them to the onions and cook over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, turning the pieces so their surfaces brown.
Pour in 120 ml water, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer gently for 25 to 35 minutes, until the heart is nearly tender. Add a little more hot water only if the pan becomes dry before the firm pieces soften.
Add the liver at the right time
Drain the liver and discard all used marinade. Add the liver pieces to the pan with the remaining saffron infusion. Stir, cover and cook gently for 8 to 12 minutes.
Check the thickest pieces with a food thermometer. USDA guidance says red-meat organs such as liver, kidney and heart should reach 71°C (160°F); see its organ-meat temperature guidance. Colour alone is not a reliable safety check.
Once every organ has reached the endpoint, uncover the pan and cook for a few minutes until the remaining liquid reduces to a light onion glaze. Do not keep frying after the liver is done.
Finish with lemon and parsley
Turn off the heat. Add the remaining lemon juice a tablespoon at a time, tasting between additions, then fold in most of the chopped parsley. Season with salt and black pepper.
Fresh lemon added at the end should brighten the onions and saffron, not leave a pool of sour liquid. Reserve a little parsley for the serving dish.
Serve jaghoor baghoor
Spoon the dish onto a warm platter and add the remaining parsley. The original recipe served it with French fries; thin, crisp fries suit the soft onions and provide a familiar contrast. Flatbread and a sharp salad also work well.
Serve immediately. Offal firms as it cools, especially liver, so reheating the whole pan several times will make the texture less pleasant.
Handling and storage
- Use separate boards or clean and sanitise thoroughly after trimming raw organs.
- Discard marinade that touched raw offal; never use it as a finishing sauce.
- Refrigerate cooked leftovers within 2 hours in a shallow covered container.
- Eat within 2 days and reheat until steaming throughout.
People who have been advised to limit organ meat for a medical reason should follow their clinician’s guidance; this recipe does not make a health claim.
