Liver Fried Rice

This idea actually came from an episode of Iron Chef. TF and I both love liver, but we don't really have that many ways of preparing it. I love liver and onions as much as the next person (probably more actually), but you can only have it so many times in a row before you start to get tired of it. I came across a Burmese liver curry recipe a while back and we made that a few times but, again, as tasty as it is, a little variety is nice too. So, when Chen started making liver fried rice, we decided that had to be a thing.

It came out pretty well, if I do say so myself!

Historically, I haven't had great luck with fried rice. I mean, it doesn't seem like it should be that difficult: you cook some rice and then fry it, right? Yet, any time I've tried it, it's never come out quite right. It usually comes out tasty, but it's not fried rice. I now have an excellent Chinese cookbook though (courtesy of my mom), so I decided to try the basic fried rice recipe out of there and add some chopped liver to it. Which worked a treat!

So, how do you make proper fried rice, you ask? Well, it's actually pretty easy. The key is having everything laid out and ready to go before you actually start cooking; you know, mise en place and all that jazz.

Liver Fried Rice
Sauce
2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of white pepper
Stir-Fry
5 c. cooked rice, at room temperature
1 c. green peas or mixed veg
5 extra-large eggs
7 Tbsp. peanut oil
1/2 tsp. salt
pinch white pepper
3 tsp. minced ginger
3 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 c. 1/4" dice shallot or onion
1 lb. liver, cut into small cubes
2 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
1 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds

1. Make sure everything that needs chopping is chopped. If you're using frozen peas/veg, thaw them. If you're using fresh, boil them for a couple minutes and drain and set aside before you get started. Make sure your rice is cooked and ready to go. And mix up the sauce. Just combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set it aside for now. In another bowl, combine the dark soy, hoisin sauce, sesame seeds, and a pinch of white pepper. We'll call the contents of this second bowl "liver sauce".

2. Time to break a few eggs! Beat the eggs with 1 Tbsp. of peanut oil, 1/4 tsp. of salt, and a pinch of white pepper. Set them aside with the rest of your ingredients.

3. Now let's get that wok going! Heat the wok (empty) over high heat for 30 seconds. Add 2 Tbsp. of peanut oil and coat the wok with it. Now add your eggs and scramble them for a minute or two (until medium-firm). Turn off heat. Transfer eggs to a plate and set aside.

4. Wash and dry wok. Heat over high for 30 seconds. Add 2 Tbsp. peanut oil and coat the wok with it. Add liver and stir/toss around a few times. Add garlic and ginger and stir/toss some more. Add "liver sauce" and stir/toss for another minute or two until liver is just barely cooked through. Turn off heat. Transfer liver to a plate and set aside.

5. Wash and dry wok. Heat over high for 30 seconds. Add 2 Tbsp. peanut oil and coat the wok with it. Add shallots/onions and 1/4 tsp. salt (and a bit more ginger and garlic if you're so inclined), reduce heat to medium and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes (until shallots are translucent).

6. Add peas/vegetables and raise heat to high. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.

7. Add rice, reduce heat to medium, and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes.

8. Raise heat to high, stir sauce, and drizzle over rice. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

9. Add liver and stir to mix. Add eggs, breaking into bite-sized pieces as you stir to mix. Cook/stir-fry for another 2 minutes.

10. Transfer to serving dish and enjoy!

So very tasty! And I finally managed to make fried rice that actually tastes like fried rice! Yum!