The Giblet Curry-Kari Zyezye– made with dark roasted curry powder has a complex finish, made up of the firm and bouncy texture of the gizzards and the hearts and the softness of the liver.
This curry is made with giblets, which is a culinary term for the edible offal of a fowl, typically including the heart, gizzard and liver. Strictly speaking zyezye is gizzards, but in the Seychellois creole we do not have a literal translation for giblets, we shall therefore call this curry ‘kari zyezye’.
Origin of Zyezye
Zyezye derives from ‘gésier’ in French which means gizzard and not gozye (Fr. gosier) which means throat.
The three main ingredients of the curry
The three main ingredients in the curry are the gizzards, livers and hearts of the chicken and I would like to cover them briefly:
What is Gizzard
The gizzard is really a highly muscular modification of the first part of the stomach of the fowl. Its main purpose is to ‘grind’ up coarse food items into smaller pieces thus facilitating their later digestion. In layman’s terms, the gizzard ‘chews’ the food for the chicken as it does not have teeth to chew food the way humans and other mammals do. The chewing or grinding of the food is done by small stones or gravel that are swallowed by the chicken.
Where to Buy Chicken Gizzards
Chicken gizzards, along with other chicken giblets, can be found at your local grocery store or butcher shop. Fortunately, most of the giblets you buy at the grocery store are already cleaned. However, in case you cannot access cleaned gizzards, you’ll have to prepare them before cooking, this is the way you can clean them:
How to clean your Gizzards
I learnt how to clean gizzards as a young boy. We had a farm and every now and then, especially during the festive season,we would cook a chicken, turkey or duck and gizzards were never discarded; in fact we would sometimes fight over whose turn it was to get it on our plate.
- First thing first: Before you unpackage your gizzard, get out everything you’ll need for the cooking process and after, from cutting boards to cleaning products. Just like other uncooked chicken parts, gizzards can carry salmonella.
- Cut the gizzard in half with a sharp knife. This process is called butterflying the gizzard, because when you open it in half it vaguely looks like a butterfly.
- Rinse the exterior and interior of the gizzard. Remember, this organ works with gravel and dirt to grind food, so there is going to be a lot of unpleasantness in there.
- Open up the folds and use your fingers to locate and discard any debris the running water may have missed.
- Once the gizzard is completely clean, peel away the whitish-yellow lining. If it does not easily pull away, use scissors to trim the lining from the flesh.
- Thoroughly wash again in running water, drain and refrigerate until ready to be used.
The taste of gizzards
Chicken gizzards taste somewhat like dark meat of the chicken. Since it is a powerfully strong muscle, it is a bit tough and chewy. It is for this reason that they are a slightly divisive cut of meat—some people can’t get enough of the texture, but others can’t stand it. It is therefore critical that they are cooked slowly over low heat. This will ensure that the tough connective tissue melts away, instead of tightening up and making your gizzards way too chewy.
Chicken gizzards are a real treat, and one of the best things you can make with them is a curry like this one. It is such a shame that in many countries people have stopped eating such tasty morsels, but I’m lucky enough to have lived in Seychelles where it is still a delicacy. I am also lucky enough to have reared our own chicken and have experienced the cleaning and cooking of the gizzards.
Nutritional value of Gizzards
Gizzard is one of the most nutritious parts of the chicken. Here’s why:
It is super high in protein, low in fat, and high in vitamins. Gizzard contains several vitamins including Vitamin B12, which is essential for brain function and forming white blood cells. It also contains niacin, which is good for circulation and producing hormones, and riboflavin, which keeps your skin and hair healthy. Consuming gizzard will lead to increased levels of iron, phosphorus, and zinc consumption. Iron helps your body form red blood cells, phosphorus, which benefits heart and muscle function, and zinc, which, improves immune system functions.
Unfortunately, gizzard is high in cholesterol and should be consumed in moderation and only make it an occasional part of your diet.
Chicken livers- lefwa poul
Wash the chicken livers in cold water and then drain. Clean and trim them by cutting away any veiny or sinewy parts and any discolored fat. Cleaning and trimming are the most time consuming part of the chicken liver recipe, but it’s a key part, and worth doing well, because chewy liver is no fun. Cut them in half and pat dry with kitchen paper.
Chicken liver is high in protein and a rich store of folate. It is also loaded with iron to give you energy and a treasure trove of certain B vitamins, most notably B12. This nutritional profile makes them a good choice for anyone prone to anaemia. Chicken liver is also one of the top sources of vitamin A, which helps eye health.
Although liver is considered an excellent source of nutrients it contains Campylobacter which is a type of bacteria that can live inside the liver, so thorough cooking is always recommended.
Chicken Hearts- Leker Poul
They are probably an acquired taste, but I do love them. Especially when cooked with liver and gizzard. I find them very tasty, and their texture pleasantly chewy. It has a musky flavour with a bit on the metallic side.
Preparing the Chicken Hearts
Trim the fat, membrane, or any other tissue attached to the heart. When you purchase the hearts it is possible that they still have ventricles, veins, or fat still attached to them. Ventricles and veins have a stringy, white look about them and can be removed with scissors or a paring knife. Trim these off as they will detract from the flavour. Wash thoroughly and pat dry.
Marinading your hearts and gizzards
I have found out that if I marinade the hearts and gizzards in a diluted vinegar, it helps to tenderise them a bit and minimises the metallic taste and imparts a bit of tartness to the meat. I mix the vinegar with the water and soak the hearts and gizzards for about 30 minutes. Once they have had a good soak, I drain the hearts and gizzards and keep until required.
Here is the recipe for Giblet Curry- Kari Zyezye
The Giblet Curry-Kari Zyezye– made with dark roasted curry powder has a complex finish, made up of the firm and bouncy texture of the gizzards and the hearts and the softness of the liver.
- 300 g chicken liver
- 300 g chicken gizzards
- 300 g chicken hearts
- 1 litre water- for soaking
- 500 ml water- for curry
- 3 tbsp vinegar- for soaking
- 1 large onion- coarsely chopped
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp dark roasted curry powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 fresh tomato -coarsely chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cardamom bruised
- 10 curry leaves
- ¼ tsp cracked pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pinch coriander leaves – roughly chopped
- salt to taste
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Cut the gizzards in half with a sharp knife. This process is called butterflying the gizzard, because when you open it in half it vaguely looks like a butterfly
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Rinse the exterior and interior of the gizzards. Remember, this organ works with gravel and dirt to grind food, so there is going to be a lot of unpleasantness in there.
-
Once the gizzard is completely clean, peel away the whitish-yellow lining. If it does not easily pull away, use scissors to trim the lining from the flesh.
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Thoroughly wash again in running water, drain and refrigerate until ready to be used
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Trim the fat, membrane, or any other tissue attached to the heart.
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Cut the hearts open and remove any visible coagulated blood. Wash thoroughly and drain.
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Wash the chicken livers in cold water
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Clean and trim them by cutting away any veiny or sinewy parts and any discolored fat.
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Cut them in half and pat dry with kitchen paper.
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Mix the vinegar with the water and soak the hearts and gizzards for about 30 minutes. This helps to tenderise them a bit, minimise the metallic taste and impart a bit of tartness to the meat.
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Drain the hearts and gizzards and keep.
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In a heated pot, add oil and cumin seeds. Once cumin seeds start to splutter add curry leaves, onions, garlic and ginger, and cardamom pod and sauté for few seconds until fragrant.
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Add the giblet pieces, and hearts, the tomato, tomato paste and bay leaves and give it a good stir.
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Add the curry powder and give it a quick stir and add water and cook on low heat for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Add livers and cook for a further 15 minutes over medium-to-low heat. Do not stir too often because the livers will breakup.
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Remove form heat and top-up with coriander leaves, and let curry stand for about 5 minutes.
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It can be served with plain boiled rice any chutney. In our case we served it a grated apple and carrot chutney.
Avoid frying off dark curry powder because it will give a bitter taste to your curry.
Did you make this recipe?
I hope you will enjoy cooking this dish. Please let me know how it turned out for you. If you have a different version of the recipe or have related questions, please leave your comments below.
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