Skip to main content

Mokh Makly

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 6-8

Ingredients

2 sets calf’s brains or 4 sets lamb’s brains
4 teaspoons wine vinegar
Salt
Flour
2 egg yolks, beaten
White or black pepper
Fine dry breadcrumbs or matzo meal
Sunflower or vegetable oil for deep-frying
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley to garnish
Juice of 1/2–1 lemon (optional)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Soak the brains for 1 hour in water acidulated with 1 tablespoon of the vinegar. Remove the thin membranes in which they are encased and wash the brains under cold running water. Drop the brains into boiling salted water acidulated with the remaining teaspoon of vinegar, and simmer for about 3 minutes. Remove, and drain thoroughly.

    Step 2

    When cooled, cut into smallish (about 1 1/2-inch) pieces. Gently roll the pieces first in flour, then in beaten egg yolk seasoned with a little salt and pepper, and lastly in fine breadcrumbs or matzo meal. Fry in hot oil about 3/4 inch deep for a minute or two, until golden brown, turning them over once. Drain on paper towels.

    Step 3

    Serve hot or cold, garnished with parsley and, if you like, sprinkled with lemon juice.

Cover of Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Easter Food, featuring a blue filigree bowl filled with Meyer lemons and sprigs of mint.
Reprinted with permission from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, copyright © 2000 by Claudia Roden, published by Knopf. Buy the full book on Amazon or Bookshop.
Read More
Like airy lemon chiffon cake and a Cadbury egg–inspired tart.
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Like coconut lentil soup and chicken stroganoff.
A warmly spiced Ashkenazi charoset, perfect for your Passover seder—or spooned over yogurt the next morning.
Keep this easy frittata recipe on hand for quick breakfasts, impressive brunches, and fridge clean-out meals.
Put that half-full tub to use with recipes that go beyond the Italian American classics.
This one-pot dinner cooks chicken thighs directly on top of a bed of flavorful cilantro rice studded with black beans for a complete dinner.
Use this classic lemon curd on scones, in yogurt, or between layers of meringue.