Poached Pork Liver
Pork liver is a super popular ingredient in Chinese cooking, sometimes as a stir fry, in a soup, or cooked in a master stock. This is a super easy way of cooking pork liver that is unbelievably tender and full of flavor.
- 200 g fresh pork liver
- 2 slices of ginger
- 3 tbsp. cornstarch
- ½ cup beer
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- Dash of white pepper
- 2 tbsp. cornstarch
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. chopped scallion
- 2 tbsp. vegetable cooking oil
- Add around 1/2 cup of starch, along with salt, to the pork liver. Combine well for a while, so the smelly stuff can be caught. Then wash carefully until your pork liver is clean and no longer slimy.
- Add some beer and soak for a while. Then wash again and drain completely.
- Add a small pinch of salt and white pepper. Combine well, then add starch to coat evenly.
- Heat oil in a small pan until hot, remove the pan from heat. Add scallion, and then combine oyster sauce and light soy sauce, mix well.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil in a wok or pot, add ginger slices, then add the pork liver slices. Now turn the fire down to the lowest setting and cover the lid. Set for 2 minutes. Transfer out to serving plate. Spread the sauce from the last step over our simmered pork liver, serve hot.
When I was a child, my mom always cooked pork liver in different ways. Every year before the Chinese Spring Festival, fresh pork liver was the most treasured ingredient for guests. In Sichuan cuisine, pork liver is usually stir-fried with pickled chilies, just as the shredded beef.
That’s the most common way, in my opinion. Growing up, I didn’t prefer spicy food, so I ended up quite Cantonese. Sweet, savory with freshness.
Clean Pork Liver
For all offal ingredients, I highly recommend using starch or flour along with salt to remove the offal smell.
I find this is much better than vinegar or lemon juice. Firstly, add around 1/2 cup of starch, along with salt, to the pork liver. Combine well for a while, so the smelly stuff can be caught.
Then wash carefully until your pork liver is clean and no longer slimy. Add some beer and soak for a while. Then wash again and drain completely.
Marinating
Add a small pinch of salt and white pepper. Combine well, then add starch to coat evenly.
The sauce
During marinating, let’s make a basic sauce. Heat the oil until hot, then remove it from the heat and spread the scallion.
Add oyster sauce and light soy sauce. Mix well.
This is our sauce for this poached pork liver. You can also steamed chicken.
Cook with the Simmering Method
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil in a wok or pot, then add the pork liver slices. Now turn the fire down to the lowest fire and cover the lid.
- Set for 2 minutes and transfer to a serving plate.
With this simmering method, called “焖煮” in Chinese, you can get super tender pork liver. Sound similar?
We used this method for the famous white-cut chicken.
Serving
Spread the sauce from the last step over our simmered pork liver and serve hot.
