Blown Liver

Blown Liver

　　Blown liver is made by inflating a fresh pig liver, then curing and air-drying it naturally. It keeps well for about a year. After washing, boiling, and slicing thinly, the liver is served cold with garnishes such as cilantro, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, scallions, and minced ginger. Its flavor is aromatic and savory, not greasy, refreshing and appetizing, making it an excellent cold dish.

　　Blown Liver: A World-Class Delicacy — A Signature Dish of the Bai People in Heqing

　　Blown liver is a specialty of Heqing. After the Tenth Month Festival (the 10th day of the 10th lunar month), most Bai families get busy butchering their New Year pigs. Before dawn, you can hear the squeals of pigs echoing from the village. These sounds carry nothing but joy. Upon hearing them, many villagers head to the homes of those butchering pigs to enjoy a hearty feast, indulging to their heart’s—and stomach’s—content.

　　But the best of all is the blown liver made by the Heqing people themselves.

　　Once the pig is slaughtered and gutted, while it’s still warm, the liver is taken out from the chest cavity and the gallbladder is removed. The women have already prepared the seasonings from the day before: freshly ground red chili powder from their own gardens, fragrant and crisp; homegrown small scallions; red prickly ash powder from Dongshan in Heqing; and aged vinegar from a local traditional vinegar brewery. Even more special is the locally brewed liquor, said to be made from an old recipe dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was even honored as a famous wine by Emperor Qianlong during his southern tour — Heqing Qian Liquor. Even the water used to rinse the liver comes from the pure, natural snowmelt of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.

　　An impatient butcher will take a bicycle pump and, while the liver is still warm, inflate it through its windpipe until it’s puffed up. Then he stuffs it with prepared chili powder, prickly ash powder, finely chopped scallions, and Heqing Qian Liquor through the air channels, packing it in until it's nearly full. After that, he rubs some fine salt on the outside, ties the inflated, almost chicken-like liver with a thin hemp rope, and hangs it under the eaves. Through the frost and wind of winter, by the time of the Spring Festival or when relatives and friends visit from afar, just boil it in water for a few minutes, slice it for a platter, and serve it cold. The taste is absolutely divine — truly one of a kind.

　　Blown Liver – Tibetan Blown Lung and Blown Liver

　　Blown lung and blown liver, also known as cured pig lung and pig liver, are among the unique preserved meat products of the Tibetan people.

　　Preparation method:

　　1. For blown lung: Inflate a fresh pig lung through the windpipe while massaging the lung by hand to expand it. Mix an appropriate amount of salt, tsao-ko powder, chili powder, and mashed garlic with lukewarm water to form a paste. Using a spoon, pour the mixture into the lung through the windpipe while continuing to inflate, shake, massage, and pour, repeating about 5–6 times until the lung is fully stuffed.

　　2. Tie the windpipe tightly with hemp string, hang it high near the fireplace to dry, and it will be ready to eat in 2–3 months.

　　3. For blown liver: Make an incision in the bile duct of a fresh pig liver, leaving only one large bile duct open while tying off the others with string. Inflate the liver through the main bile duct opening by manually blowing air into it while massaging the liver and pouring in seasonings. Mix part of the seasonings with liquor and pour into the liver, then apply the remaining seasonings on the surface. Prop the liver lobes apart using bamboo slices or corn cobs and hang it in a cool, ventilated place to dry. After about 1 to 1.5 months, the curing process is complete.

　　4. Wash the blown liver, boil it, and slice it thinly. Serve it cold with seasonings such as cilantro, sesame oil (or cooked vegetable oil), soy sauce, vinegar, scallions, and minced ginger. It is commonly used as a cold dish.

　　Characteristics:

　　The flavor is aromatic and savory, not greasy, refreshing and appetizing, making it an excellent cold dish. It can be eaten anytime and keeps for about a year.