炒肝 (Stir-fried Liver with Intestines)
A traditional Beijing street snack, featuring tender pork liver and chewy intestines in a thick, savory garlic sauce that's rich and satisfying.
Ingredients
13 items- Pork liver 300g
- Cooked pork intestines 200g
- Garlic 4 heads
- Ginger 10g
- Cooking wine 2 tbsp
- Light soy sauce 1 tbsp
- Dark soy sauce 1 tsp
- Sugar 1 tsp
- Broth or water 500ml
- Water starch 4 tbsp
- Lard or vegetable oil 2 tbsp
- Salt to taste
- White pepper a pinch
Nutrition
Steps （8 steps）
Soak pork liver in water for 30 minutes, changing water twice to remove blood. Pat dry, slice into 0.3cm pieces. Marinate with cooking wine, a pinch of salt, and cornstarch for 10 minutes.
Cut cooked pork intestines diagonally into 2cm segments. Crush garlic, then mince finely; divide into two portions (2/3 for stir-frying, 1/3 for finishing). Slice ginger.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, blanch the intestines for 1 minute to remove odor and tighten texture. Drain and set aside.
Heat lard or oil in a wok over medium heat. Add 2/3 of garlic and ginger; stir-fry until fragrant and golden (about 30 seconds).
Increase heat to high. Pour in broth or water, add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and a little salt. Bring to a boil and let it cook for 2 minutes to develop the base. Remove and discard ginger slices.
Add blanched intestines into the broth. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes until infused. Adjust color with more dark soy sauce if needed.
Scatter the marinated liver slices into the wok. Gently loosen with chopsticks; cook until just changed color (about 40 seconds). Turn heat to low immediately to prevent overcooking.
Pour in the water starch while stirring quickly to thicken evenly. When the sauce becomes translucent and coats the back of a spoon, add remaining garlic, stir, then turn off heat and serve.
Tips
Mastering the heat is key; liver should be just cooked through (pinkish with no blood) to remain tender. Using garlic in two stages enhances its aroma. The starch sauce should be thick enough to cling to the liver and intestines. This classic dish pairs these offal with a fragrant garlic broth.
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