Beef Liver Soup with Sweet Yam and Tomato

Purpose:

To strengthen spleen and enhance appetite; to nourish liver and improve vision.  This soup can be used as food therapy for weak liver and spleen, and deteriorated vision, and for dizziness, low spirit, poor appetite, dry mouth and abnormal thirst.
       
Material:

Beef liver （牛肝）                                           150 g
Beef tenderloin (牛里脊肉)                          150 g
Sweet yam （薯仔）                                        300 g
Tomato （番茄）                                              250 g
Ginger                                                             5 g
Salt                                                                 some
     For marinade
       Soy sauce （酱油）                                  20 g                                                                              
       Cooking wine （料酒）                            10 g
       Corn starch                                             10 g
       Salt                                                           5 g
       Sugar                                                       2 g
          

Note:

Like pork liver, the thinner part of beef liver has less large vacuoles (tubes which are tough to cook and chew), so choose to buy the thinner part if you could.  In this recipe, beef liver and beef tenderloin slices are to be marinated before use, so it is very important that blood residues be thoroughly removed by rinsing from the liver and meat.  Make sure the rinsing is gentle, so that it does not break the liver or meat slices.  The marinade in this recipe is a very good tenderizer.  It is good not just for beef and beef liver, but also for pork and pork liver - after treating with this marinade, the cooking time can be a bit longer without the worry of meat or liver becoming dry and tough.    

Procedure:

a.   Soak beef liver in cold water for about half hour, and change water 2-3 times.  Combine and mix even the ingredients for the marinade.  Set aside for later use.

b.   Cut beef into thin slices.  Quickly and gently rinse beef slices 3-4 times with cold water to remove blood residues.  Drain water as much as you can each time.  Cut beef liver into thin slices.  Rinse with cold water a few times to remove some white turbid material and blood residues.  Stop rinsing when water is clear and the color is light pink (no longer turbid or bloody).  Let water drain as much as you can.  Combine beef and beef liver slices in one bowl.  Add the marinade.  Mix even and let sit for at least 10 minutes.   

c.   Peel sweet yams and cut into large chunks.  Peel ginger and cut into slices.  Rinse clean tomatoes and cut into pieces. 

d.   Bring to boil about 7-8 cups of water with high heat.  Add sweet yam, tomato and ginger.  Bring to boil, and then reduce to medium heat to cook until yam and tomato are well done - yam is soft and the soup has a tomato flavor.   

e.   Bring back to high heat.  Add beef and beef liver slices.  Cook 5-10 minutes until beef liver is ready.

f.   Add some salt to taste.  Since the marinade contains salt and soy sauce, you should make sure not to add too much salt at this step.  Ready to serve. 

        

Comment:

This is a colorful soup with a light touch of sweet and sour flavor.  The liver and beef slices are soft and tasty.  Yam pieces cooked in this soup seem to cause no trouble for people who would otherwise have heart burn sensation after eating yam cooked in other ways.  You do not need to finish the soup all at once.  Refrigeration does not affect the taste of the soup.  Microwave to warm up the soup before serving.  I would definitely recommend eating this soup when it is hot.

Sweet yam （番薯）

Beef tenderloin （牛里脊）

 

Tomato （番茄）

Beef liver （牛肝）