Pork liver with Tomatoes and Onions

Share

I went to the market today and decided to buy a slab of pork liver. However, upon reaching home I remembered that both hubby and I are a little heaty. So my favourite way of stir frying pork liver with sesame oil, ginger, spring onions and oyster sauce is not a good idea. (I ever cooked this dish for someone else before and he ate so much, he had fever the next day). I went online to look for alternatives and most Chinese recipes featured are the same as what I had originally planned. Then I recalled how a friend used to cook pork liver with tomatoes and onions for me and I loved it. So I decided to recreate the dish from memory.

This dish is tangy and sweet with a slight umami from the pork liver. The onions are so sweet and tasty that you will basically be cleaning up the whole plate! We actually poured the sauce onto the rice.

Very appetising and nutritious as tomatoes and onions are also both power vegetables packed with vitamins and minerals that benefit us. For those who are not aware, pork liver is also highly nutritious. Some people may scoff at the idea of nourishing our organs by eating the organs of other animals or in Chinese we call “以形补形”. This is actually not superstition at least as far as liver is concerned.

Pork liver is extremely rich in protein, iron and vitamin B12 – both of which are key nutrients needed by our body to create red blood cells and Vitamin B12 is only found in animals. This also explains why a lot of vegetarians suffer from low blood pressure or anaemia. In such a situation, they will need to consume some supplements of Vitamin B12.

Surprisingly, pork liver is also rich in protein, Vitamin A and Vitamin C as well as other vitamins like folate, niacin, riboflavin and minerals like selenium which is a powerful antioxidant. However, having said that, everything should be consumed in moderation. Over consumption of pork liver will lead to Vitamin A toxic build up amongst other health hazards. Another concern is cholesterol. So I will recommend to consume liver according to your health condition. Once a week or every 2 weeks should be pretty safe for most people.

The key to soft and “powdery” textured pork liver is actually :

1. quality liver
2. right cooking method
3. right cooking time

Quality Liver

I usually purchase my liver from the wet market as I have a trusty butcher. I have tasted pretty good quality pork liver bought from Fairprice too. So you can give that a try if you do not have a butcher you trust. When buying your liver, check to make sure it is a fresh and bright reddish maroon colour and not dark and dull, nor should it have any dark or hard spots. The liver should also be tender. I usually try to eat it within 2, no more than 3 days from day of purchase because I will only store it in my fridge and not in freezer as the texture and colour will change.

Cooking Method

Another thing to note about pork liver is that it does not need to be marinated. Never marinate it with salt especially as salt will harden the liver. Instead, you can use some tapioca flour to coat it lightly and then throw it into hot boiling water for half a minute (not to cook thoroughly). Then set aside to fry later. This will result in a softer liver.

Cooking Time

Before we talk about how long to cook liver, let’s talk about slicing liver. Each slice should be thick enough to give a good bite, but not so thick that it takes so long to cook, the outside will be too hard by the time it is done. Usually I cut my liver about 3-4mm thick and about the length of your tablespoon so it fits into the spoon nicely too. Too small and it cooks too quickly and too big it cooks unevenly. Also make sure that your liver are all about the same size. Liver cooks really quickly. Be it in soup or stir fry, the moment you see the outer layer starts changing colour totally, your liver is almost done. Give it a few more seconds and stir to ensure all are cooked before turning off the fire.

The Recipe

This pork liver with tomatoes and onions recipe is really easy and uses ingredients that most people will have at home – tomatoes, onions, garlic, tomato sauce and a slice or 2 of ginger. As pig liver cooks very quickly, it is good to make sure that the sauce is the right taste profile before putting in the liver. You also have a choice of adding some marinated pork slices.

I used 2 medium sized tomatoes, but I think I will use 3 next time as I like it to be thicker with more tomato flesh. The onions also tastes so good that I may use a little more next time. Please find the ingredients listed in the ingredients tab and without further ado, here is the method.

Hope you will have the chance to try this dish and we look forward to hearing your feedback. Please feel free to visit our homepage for other delicious recipe ideas too.