I have recently realised the source of my constant mouth ulcers and flaky skin around my nose: the lack of Vitamin B2. And the best natural source of vitamin B2 is organ meat. I can hear people going iiieeeww in the background. But seriously, our current generation do not appreciate organ meats, which have been an important source of nutrients for millennia. Instead of going all go icky about it, we should bring back the culture of eating organ meats because they can be both nutritious and delicious!
Today, I am going to teach you how to make a pig’s liver casserole. You can use lamb or beef liver instead, and lamb liver has the highest percentage of Vitamin B2. To get rid of the smell that most people dislike about organ meat, you need to take note of these steps:
One, slice your liver THINLY. This is to ensure the taste of your marinate or sauces get into the meat. To be able to do so, you’d probably need to first freeze the meat so that it is easier to be sliced.
Two, use the magic formula: wine and ginger. Wine and ginger are used widely in Chinese cuisine to get rid of raw stench like in fish or organ meat. Always marinate.
Last of all, you need to rinse your organ meat repeatedly. For the case of liver, it is the blood or whatever that is red in the liver that causes the stench. So once you have sliced your liver, rinse it again and again several times, until nothing red seeps out of the meat.
Once you follow these steps, you can enjoy the fantastic texture of liver!
Ingredients:
150g pig’s liver
For the marinate:
- 200ml Shaoxing wine
- 1cm long fresh ginger, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
For the casserole:
- 1 tbs vegetable oil
- 2 slices of fresh ginger
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tps dark soy sauce
- 1 tbs oyster sauce
- Water
- Salt and pepper
- Spring onion, chopped
Serving: 2 persons
Instructions:
- First you need to clean and then marinate your pig’s liver. Otherwise the smell would be overpowering.
- Place your pig’s liver in the freezer for about one hour, so that it will be easier to slice. Take it out and slice in max 5mm thick slices. Rinse them again and again in water until you do not see blood coming out. Place the liver in a bowl and marinate with Shaoxing wine, minced ginger and garlic. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in fridge for at least three hours.
- Use a good Cantonese clay casserole or one of those metalic ones (which I have used). Heat it up on high heat with a bit of vegetable oil. Throw in the ginger and garlic. When the fragrance is released, stir-fry your liver (only the liver, not the marinate) in the casserole. I use a pair of chopsticks to do that but you can do it with a wooden spoon.
- Once the liver is 80% cooked, add in the oyster sauce and dark soy sauce. Distribute the sauces so that all the slices are darkened with the sauce. Add in some water (or more Shaoxing wine if you like). Cover and let it simmer for 1 minute. Do take note never to overcook your liver, and they tend to cook very quickly. Overcooked liver is hard and not tasty at all.
- Turn off the fire and add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with spring onion.