Shio-Koji & Toasted Sesame Oil Chicken Liver (塩麴とごま油のさっぱり鶏レバー）

On a journey to heal your gut?

Did you know that liver is a powerful superfood that helps heal our body? It is nutrient-dense and packed with Vitamin D, A, B12, folic acid, zinc, and other essential nutrients. It is far richer in nutrients than the common popular muscle meat.  

One crucial thing is to choose grass-fed and pasture-raised chicken liver. I'm sure you can all guess by now. Conventional meat is not only inhumane; it's also highly inflammatory and can cause more harm than help. If the animals are not raised healthily, our planet and our bodies will not thrive as well. Always look for pasture-raised chicken liver and grass-fed beef liver. 


This is what we call "pasture raised". 
These are how the Red Master Chickens are raised in the plains of Hungary.


This is how you want your chicken farm to look like. Not stacks of cages.

Today we are making a nutritious chicken liver dish with with Shio-Koji ( a natural umami booster) and a dash of toasted sesame oil. 


Plates used :Ikutouen Handmade Shironuki Karakusa Plate - 22cm

Shio-Koji & Toasted Sesame Oil Chicken Liver (塩麴とごま油のさっぱり鶏レバー）
(4 servings) 

Ingredients 
500g, Organic Chicken Liver
3 Tbsp. + ½ Tbsp., Shio Koji
100ml, Cooking Sake
100ml, Filtered Water
4 drops., Ginger Extract or 2 pc of Ginger Slice
150g, Chive Flowers
1 Tbsp., Toasted Sesame Oil
1 tsp, White Sesame

Instructions

1. Instructions:

   1. Gently rinse the chicken liver 2 to 3 times and remove any fatty parts or blood parts of the livers. Soak it in filtered water for 5 to 10 minutes to get the excess blood out of the liver.
      
      
   2. Drain the water and run it through boiling water by pouring the hot water over the chicken livers over a sieve. Drain well.
      
   3. Marinate the chicken livers with 3 Tbsp. of Shio-koji for 10 minutes.
      
   4. Heat up the sake, water and ginger, and bring it to simmer. Add the marinated chicken livers together with the Shio-koji and further simmer for 15 minutes. Let it cool off in the pot.
      
   5. Cut the chive flowers into 4 to 5cm length and blanch them for 1 minute.
      
   6. Toss the chive flowers in a bowl and add Shio-koji (½ Tbsp.) and toasted sesame (1Tbsp.) mixture to it. Then, plate 2/3 of the chives onto the plate.
      
   7. Remove the excess liquid from the cooked liver and toss the liver with the chive flowers. Serve that on top of the plate with the chive flower bed and sprinkle white sesame on top to decorate and serve!