My Cooking Journal 18 - Stir Fry Pork Liver (猪肝)

I love to eat pork liver. Whenever my craving is haunting me, I would cook this famous authentic Chinese dish.  However, not all people can accept the taste of pork liver as it has raw smell and looks bloody if it is undercooked. So, one must be careful with the handling and cooking process to make it tastier.

Before we talk about cooking pork liver, there is some good points of pork livers to be shared with everyone. 

Pork livers are low in sodium, zero sugar, very high in iron, niacin, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, riboflavin, selenium, vitamin A, B12, C and zinc. Also high in thiamin and vitamin B6. Therefore, it is a good food that helps to regulate our blood circulation, capable in maintaining our eyesight, bones, skins, nervous system, promotes growth and maintenance of cells, tissues and sperm production (for men).   

The only main bad point about pork livers is they are very high in cholesterol. It contains around 100% of the daily recommended amount that we needed. This has indirectly increase our risk for coronary heart disease if we do not consume in moderation.

Buy and Selection:

Pork livers can be purchased at any local supermarket and wet market. Choose those that are bright red in colour and remember to check the packing date if you purchased from supermarket. Try to consume the pork liver within one to two days after purchased. It will tend to lost out its freshness and becomes more powdery in texture if you refrigerate it for too long.

Ingredients:

1. 1 piece Pork Liver (150g - 200g), rinse well and cut into thin slices
2. 3 stalks Spring Onions, cut into two inch length and seperate out the white and green part
3. 15g Ginger - cut into thin strips
4. 5 cloves Garlic - cut into slices
5. 1 Red Chilli, cut into slices
6. 1 tablespoon - dark soya sauce (thicker texture)
7. 1 tablespoon - light soy sauce
8. 1 tablespoon Sesame oil (for cooking)
9. 1 teaspoon Sesame oil (for marinate)
10. 1 teaspoon Cornflour (for marinate)
11. 3 tablespoon water
12. A dash of black pepper, sea salt and sugar (to taste)

Methods:

1. Marinate pork liver slices in a bowl with 1 teaspoon sesame oil, dash of sugar and pepper, 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce and  1 teaspoon of corn flour. Mixed well and set aside (Preferably marinate for 30 min.)
2. Boil a pot of water and add dash of sea salt. Once boiled, pour in the seasoned pork liver slices and off the heat. Blanch the pork liver briefly in the pot of hot water, then remove them from the pot within 15 second. This will help to reduce the raw smell. 
3. Heat up 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, once heated, add in ginger strips, white part and some green part spring onions and stir fry over high heat till fragrance. Add in garlic and red chilli slices, stir fry till garlic become lightly brown. Then, reduce to low heat.
4. Add in pork liver slices, give it a quick stir and add in 1 tablespoon dark soya sauce, dash of sugar and black pepper and stir well for 2 minutes.
5. Add water (to make a sauce base) and stir well.
6. Then , follow by green part of spring onions and stir till spring onions become soft.
7. Off heat, dish out from wok and serve hot.

Note:

Pork Liver has no connective tissue, so try not to overcook it as it will become very dry and tough which will destroy the taste. However, pork liver must also be cooked till little pinky in the inner side (to give a soft and tender texture) as eating raw pork liver may cause irritation to your digestive system.

 



Method 3



Method 4

Method 5

Method 6

This dark soya sauce (superior grade) makes a great sauce for my stir fry pork liver