Sesame oil pork kidney (麻油腰花)
ma you yao hua (麻油腰花)
A Taiwanese confinement classic: pork kidney flashed in black sesame oil and old ginger. Warming and kidney-nourishing, cooked hot and fast for the early weeks.
If sesame oil pork liver is the confinement kitchen’s answer to blood, sesame oil kidney is its answer to the deeper reserves. A Taiwanese classic, it is kidney flashed in black sesame oil and old ginger, cooked in minutes and eaten in the earlier weeks of the month.
Why this dish
The reasoning is the old principle of nourishing like with like: the tradition reaches for kidney to support the mother’s own, which it ties to the deep reserves depleted by birth. Cooked in black sesame oil and plenty of old ginger, it sits firmly within the warming logic of qi, blood, cold and wind, the same base as the other sesame oil dishes.
Clean well, cook fast
Two things make or break it. Cleaning the kidney thoroughly, cutting away the white membrane and scoring it, removes the strong smell and gives the pretty curled pieces. And cooking it hot and fast, a minute or two at most, keeps it tender rather than rubbery. Have everything ready before the kidney hits the pan, and see the other recipes for the dishes it belongs alongside.
The recipe
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 8 min
- Total
- 28 min
- Serves
- 2 as part of a meal
Why this ingredient
Pork kidney (猪腰)
Kidney is one of the organ meats the confinement kitchen turns to early, following the old idea of nourishing like with like: the tradition reaches for kidney to support the mother's own, which it links to the deep reserves. Cleaned and cooked hot and fast, it stays tender and mild.
Why this ingredient
Black sesame oil (黑麻油)
Black sesame oil is the fat almost every confinement dish is cooked in, classed as warm and nourishing. Fried first with the ginger, it warms the dish and carries the aromatics, the same base behind sesame oil chicken and pork liver.
Ingredients
- 2 pork kidneys, membrane removed, scored and sliced Clean and score well to remove the strong smell and keep them tender.
- 40 g old ginger, sliced into thin coins A generous amount, fried first to build the warming base.
- 2 tablespoons black sesame oil The defining warming fat; keep it below smoking point.
- 2 tablespoons rice wine, or water Traditional; use water to keep it alcohol free while breastfeeding.
- 1 teaspoon goji berries For colour and a touch of sweetness at the end.
- A little salt, to taste
Method
- 1 Halve the kidneys, cut away the white membrane and gland, and score the surface in a fine crosshatch. Slice, then soak in water with a splash of rice wine for 15 minutes, changing the water once. Pat very dry.
- 2 Heat the black sesame oil in a wok over medium heat, keeping it below smoking point, and fry the ginger for 4 to 5 minutes until the edges curl.
- 3 Turn the heat to high. Add the kidney and stir fry for just 1 to 2 minutes, until it curls and has just changed colour through. Do not overcook it.
- 4 Pour in the rice wine or water, add the goji and a little salt, toss for 30 seconds to make a light sauce, and serve immediately.
Notes and substitutions
- Have everything ready before you start; the cooking takes barely two minutes.
- A thorough clean and a good crosshatch score are what remove the smell and give the pretty curled pieces.
- Serve hot over rice or with mee sua noodles to soak up the sesame sauce.
Before you cook this
- Clean the kidney thoroughly and cook it through until no longer raw, while keeping it brief so it stays tender.
- Made with rice wine, note that alcohol passes into breast milk; use water instead to avoid it.
- Rich and warming, so it is eaten in modest portions rather than every day.
Sources
- The Zuo Yuezi Guide
- Zuo Yuezi: An American Mother's Guide to Chinese Postpartum Recovery (Guang Ming Whitley)
Common questions
How do I clean and prepare pork kidney?
Halve each kidney lengthways and cut away the white membrane and gland inside, which carry the strong smell. Score the surface in a fine crosshatch, slice into pieces, and soak in water (a little rice wine or vinegar helps) for 15 minutes, changing the water once. Pat very dry before cooking.
How do I stop it going rubbery?
Cook it hot and fast. Kidney needs only a minute or two over high heat and toughens the moment it is overdone. Have everything ready, get the pan hot, and pull the kidney the instant it curls and changes colour.
When is it eaten in the month?
The earlier weeks. Like sesame oil pork liver, it is one of the organ dishes the tradition serves early, when rebuilding is the priority. It is warming and rich, so it is eaten in modest portions rather than daily.