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Májas hurka
Liver and rice sausage
Hurka: Hungarian pork liver and rice sausage, roasted until crisp
HungarianIn Hungarian villages the winter pig-killing (disznótor) ends with a feast, and hurka is the star: soft sausages of pork, pork liver and rice seasoned with marjoram and black pepper, roasted until the skins crackle. Today you buy them at market stalls in Budapest's Great Market Hall and at country butchers, eaten hot with mustard, bread and pickled cabbage. Blood sausage (véres hurka) is the other version; this is the liver one. Ask your butcher for natural pork casings. Chef's tip: roast the sausages in a little fat with a splash of water and don't prick them, or they burst and dry out.
- Total time
- 150 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the filling
- 1 ¾ lb pork shoulder or bellyin large chunks
- 14 oz pork liver
- 2 litres water
- 9 oz short-grain rice
- 2 tbsp lard or oil
- 2 onionsfinely chopped
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp dried marjoram
- 3 cloves garliccrushed
To fill and roast
- 3 metres natural pork casingssoaked in warm water 30 minutes
- 2 tbsp lard or oil
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Simmer 1 ¾ lb pork shoulder or belly in 2 litres water with 2 bay leaves for 50 minutes, then add 14 oz pork liver and simmer for 10 minutes more until it is firm with no pink. Lift out the meat and keep the broth.
60 minStep 2: Cook 9 oz short-grain rice in 500 ml of the broth for 12–15 minutes until just tender but still a little firm. Spread out to cool.
18 minStep 3: Heat 2 tbsp lard or oil and fry 2 onions over a medium heat for 8 minutes until soft and golden.
8 minStep 4: Mince the pork and liver through a medium plate (or chop very finely). Mix with the rice, onion, 1 tbsp salt, 2 tsp ground black pepper, 2 tbsp dried marjoram, 3 cloves garlic and a ladle of broth until moist and loose. Taste and adjust; it should be well seasoned.
10 minStep 5: Rinse the 3 metres natural pork casings inside. Fill them loosely with a sausage funnel or piping bag, twist into 15 cm lengths and tie the ends. Overfilling is the common mistake: rice swells and the skins split.
25 minStep 6: Poach the sausages in the hot broth just below a simmer (about 176°F) for 15 minutes. Prick any air bubbles with a pin.
15 minStep 7: Heat the oven to 400°F (fan 350°F). Lay the sausages in a roasting tin with 2 tbsp lard or oil and 4 tbsp water. Roast for 25–30 minutes, turning once, until the skins are crisp and brown and the centre reaches 160°F on a thermometer. Serve hot.
30 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does májas hurka take?
- About 150 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
- What can I use instead of short-grain rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
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