Beijing Chao Gan

Ingredients

• 400 g cleaned pork intestine
• 200 g pork liver
• 2 tbsp plain flour, for cleaning
• 2 tbsp coarse salt, for cleaning
• 1.2 litres pork or chicken stock
• 1 whole head of garlic, about 12 cloves
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 2 slices ginger
• 1 star anise
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• 60 g potato starch
• 120 ml cold water
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• fine salt, to taste
• 4 steamed buns, to serve

Before you cook

• Rub the intestines hard with the flour and coarse salt, then rinse them under cold running water three times.
• Turn the intestines inside out and strip away any loose fat, then rinse again.
• Slice the liver 3 mm thick and soak it in cold water for 20 minutes to draw out the blood.
• Crush half the garlic to a smooth paste with a pinch of salt.
• Chop the remaining garlic finely.
• Stir the potato starch into the cold water and set it aside.

Steps

1. Put the intestines in a pot of cold water with the ginger, star anise and Shaoxing wine and bring it to the boil.
2. Skim the grey foam off, then cover and simmer for 45 minutes, until the intestine yields easily to a spoon.
3. Lift the intestines out, let them cool a little, and cut them into 1 cm rings.
4. Strain the cooking liquor and top it up with stock to make 1.2 litres.
5. Heat the oil in a wide pan and fry the chopped garlic for 30 seconds, until fragrant but still pale.
6. Pour in the stock and add both soy sauces and the white pepper.
7. Bring it to a simmer, add the intestine rings and cook for 5 minutes.
8. Drain the liver and slide it in, cooking for 90 seconds until it just loses its raw colour.
9. Stir the starch slurry, then pour it into the pan in a thin stream while stirring constantly.
10. Keep stirring for 2 minutes, until the broth turns glossy and thickly coats a spoon.
11. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the raw garlic paste.
12. Taste and add salt.
13. Ladle into small bowls and serve with steamed buns, sipping from the rim rather than using a spoon.