Pork Liver Tatsuta-age (Elementary School Portion)
【小学校】レバーの竜田揚げ · Rebā no Tatsuta-age
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese elementary school lunch menu
Tatsuta-age is a Japanese style of frying in which meat or fish is marinated in soy sauce, sake, and ginger, coated in potato starch, and deep-fried until crisp. Liver shows up regularly on Japanese school lunch menus because it is such a good source of iron, and this preparation is the one that wins children over: the ginger-soy marinade takes the edge off the liver's flavor, the starch coating fries up light and crunchy, and a sweet-savory sauce with finely diced green bell pepper ties it all together. Soaking the liver in running water first draws out the blood, which is the key to a clean, mild taste.
Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow it, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese elementary school, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 66.6 gpork liver
- 11.7 ggreen bell pepper
- 11.7 gwater
Seasonings
- 1.2 gsakeSake (Japanese rice wine) is used in small amounts to soften the smell of fish and meat and add depth. Japanese "cooking sake" often contains added salt. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: The same amount of water (the taste will be a little simpler), or dry white wine.
- 1.2 gsoy sauce
- 0.5 gsesame oil
- 0.3 gginger paste (tube)Grated ginger sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh ginger for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated ginger in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- 12.1 gpotato starch (katakuriko)Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness.
- 5.6 gvegetable oil
- 0.8 gsesame oil
- 2.6 gsakeSake (Japanese rice wine) is used in small amounts to soften the smell of fish and meat and add depth. Japanese "cooking sake" often contains added salt. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: The same amount of water (the taste will be a little simpler), or dry white wine.
- 1.2 gsugar
- 2.6 gsoy sauce
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- sake (酒)
- Sake (Japanese rice wine) is used in small amounts to soften the smell of fish and meat and add depth. Japanese "cooking sake" often contains added salt. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: The same amount of water (the taste will be a little simpler), or dry white wine.
- ginger paste (tube) (しょうがチューブ)
- Grated ginger sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh ginger for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated ginger in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- potato starch (katakuriko) (かたくり粉)
- Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness. Read the guide: Katakuriko (Japanese Potato Starch) and What to Use Instead → Guide: japanese-school-lunch.com/articles/katakuriko-potato-starch/
Directions
- 1
If the pork liver is in a block, slice it thinly, then place it in plenty of water and wash it. Rinse under running water, stirring occasionally, for about 10 to 30 minutes to draw out the blood (adjust the time to the amount of liver; it's fine once the water is only faintly cloudy). Drain in a colander (the water doesn't need to be completely clear at this point).
- 2
Put the pork liver, sake, soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger paste in a bowl. Rub the marinade into the liver, then let it marinate for about 15 minutes.
- 3
Cut the green bell pepper into 1 cm dice. Heat the sesame oil in a small pot and stir-fry the bell pepper over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the sake, sugar, soy sauce, and water, and simmer over low heat for 3 minutes to reduce.
- 4
Drain the liver well in a colander. Coat it with potato starch, then lower it into oil heated to 170°C (340°F) and fry for about 5 minutes.
- 5
Spoon the green bell pepper sauce over the fried liver.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 190.8 kcal | 381.6 kcal | 190.8 kcal |
| Protein | 14 g | 27.9 g | 14 g |
| Fat | 9 g | 18 g | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 14 g | 27.9 g | 14 g |
| Fiber | 0.2 g | 0.3 g | 0.2 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.8 g | 1.5 g | 0.8 g |
| Calcium | 6.6 mg | 13.2 mg | 6.6 mg |
| Iron | 8.7 mg | 17.4 mg | 8.7 mg |
| Potassium | 235.2 mg | 470.4 mg | 235.2 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 190.8 kcal | 14 g | 9 g | 14 g | 0.2 g | 0.8 g | 6.6 mg | 8.7 mg | 235.2 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 381.6 kcal | 27.9 g | 18 g | 27.9 g | 0.3 g | 1.5 g | 13.2 mg | 17.4 mg | 470.4 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese elementary-school portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
This is the elementary-school portion of Pork Liver Tatsuta-age (Marinated Fried Liver) (larger quantities, same method).
