Stir-Fried Liver and Chinese Chives 2

07Oct09

http://1tess.wordpress.com

When I prepared this recipe last year it had been years, perhaps decades, since I’d eaten liver. I remembered liver as tough and flavorless, but the recipe is in the book, and my plan is to eventually cook all the recipes. My husband was out of town so I wouldn’t have been subjecting him to a “bad” meal. I was surprised. It was divine! Succulent. Delicious. Amazing. My husband certainly missed out!

Time passed, things happened, and I forgot about liver and garlic chives. So much for revelation…until I came across my post and remembered that I hadn’t shared this wonderful meal with my luv. Now that we have shared the pleasure, I am reminding my readers to try it too.

Stir-Fried Liver and Chinese Chives
Nira-reba Itame
serves 1 to 2
page 446
Marinating the liver:

• 7 ounces pork or beef liver, cut into ¼-inch slices
  (I used calves liver)
• 2 Tablespoons sake (rice wine vinegar)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon sake
• 1 ½ teaspoons shoyu (soy sauce)
• pinch of ground white pepper
• 1 Tablespoon potato starch (or cornstarch)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Have a large bowl of ice water at hand. In a medium pot of boiling water, blanch the liver until the outside turns pale, about 20 seconds. Drain, and plunge the liver into the cold water. Rinse the liver and drain again. Pat dry with paper towel.
In a bowl, combine the sake, salt, shoyu, and pepper. Add the liver to the bowl, and toss. Add the potato starch and stir gently. Add the sesame oil and stir again. Refrigerate, covered, for 20 minutes.

Preparing the Vegetables and Sauce:

• 10 ounces Chinese Chives, cut into 2-inch lengths
• One 1-inch piece of ginger, sliced very thin
• 2 green onions, white parts only, cut into thin disks
• ¼ cup chicken stock
• 1 Tablespoon sake
• 1 teaspoon shoyu
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon potato starch combined with 2 teaspoons water

Combine the chicken stock, shoyu, and sugar. Mix the potato starch and water in a separate container.

Stir-Frying and Serving:

• ½ cup vegetable oil plus 1 Tablespoon
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• Pinch of ground white pepper
• Plain white or brown rice

Heat a wok or skillet, and add ½ cup oil. Heat to 360°F. Add half the liver and cook until the surface is golden. About 1 to 2 minutes. Remove liver to a plate and partially cook the other half the same way. Set aside.
Remove most of the oil from the skillet, leaving about 3 Tablespoons. Turn the heat to high. When the oil is hot, add the Chinese chives, and stir-fry them until they begin to wilt. About 20 seconds. Remove and reserve.
Add 1 Tablespoon of fresh oil to the skillet and fry the ginger and scallion over low heat for 20 seconds. Increase heat to high. Return the liver to the skillet. Pour in the chicken-stock mixture and toss vigorously for 2 minutes.
Return the chives to the skillet, and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
Reduce heat to low. Give the potato starch slurry a stir and add it to the skillet. Stir until the sauce thicken.
Add the sesame oil and pepper, toss. Serve hot with plain white or brown rice.

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Filed under: Asian Influenced Food, Beef, Grilling and Pan-Frying, Japanese Food, Pork, Stir-Frying, Yakimono   |  6 Comments