Minced fresh pig liver blended with thirteen seasonings, wrapped in pork caul fat, pan-fried until golden, steamed through, then sliced and flash-fried in chilli oil. Yangcheng's signature appetiser: crisp caul fat shell, silky liver centre, dipped in aged vinegar.
Yangcheng County's roasted liver has circulated for roughly five hundred years — though written records are sparse and competing folk legends fill the gap. One account traces the dish to the Song-Jin warfare period, when a cook in the Yue family forces, angered at the betrayal of General Yue Fei, wrapped seasoned pig liver in caul fat and named it 'shaogan' (roast the traitor's liver) as symbolic protest, a dish that quickly spread through Yangcheng. A quieter account places the origin in a winter-evening improvisation by a scholar-brother who had only half a pig liver and a few garlic cloves at hand. What is certain is that wrapping seasoned minced liver in pork caul fat (花油) had become a standard Yangcheng technique by the Ming-Qing period; the dish was recognised as a Shanxi Province-level intangible cultural heritage item in 2017.
The caul fat crisps into a translucent lacquer shell; beneath it the liver is dense yet silky, fragrant with garlic and sweet bean sauce. Aged vinegar cuts through the richness sharply.
Pork caul fat (花油, the omentum) is a lacy sheet of collagen-rich fat tissue. In the initial pan-fry, fat cells in the caul render quickly, basting the liver filling from outside while the collagen web contracts and sets the cylinder shape. During steaming, the caul fat's remaining collagen converts to gelatin, sealing in moisture while allowing the liver proteins to coagulate at around 70°C — producing a firm yet moist centre. The final flash-fry in chilli oil drives off surface moisture and triggers Maillard browning on the gelatin shell, yielding the signature crisp-lacquer crust that surrounds a silky interior.
Variations
A pork-lung version substituting part of the liver with lung is made for festival banquets in Yangcheng, yielding a lighter texture. Some cooks add finely diced pork belly to the filling for extra richness. In Jincheng city, a similar preparation uses lamb liver. The universal dipping sauce is Shanxi aged vinegar; some households add chilli oil to the dip.
On the Palate
Where Yangcheng Grilled Liver sits in the Chinese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
7 steps · 20 min
- 15 min
Clean 400g fresh pig liver; remove surface membranes and bile ducts. Finely mince or process briefly until a coarse paste forms. Pat dry with paper towels to reduce excess moisture.
- 25 min
Transfer liver to a bowl; add 1 egg, 2 tbsp potato starch, 1 tbsp sweet bean sauce, half a tsp salt, 1 tsp minced ginger, 1 tbsp minced garlic, and 1 tbsp minced scallion. Stir vigorously in one direction until the mixture becomes cohesive and bouncy.
Watch outStir the liver filling one direction until cohesive and bouncy — a loose paste won't hold the cylinder shape through the fry and steam.
- 33 min
Gently rinse and pat dry 200g pork caul fat; lay it flat on the work surface and cut into sheets roughly 25×15cm.
- 45 min
Place one-quarter of the liver filling along the near edge of a caul fat sheet; roll tightly into a cylinder about 3cm in diameter and 25cm long, tucking the ends in. Secure with a toothpick or a length of kitchen twine.
- 55 min
Heat 2cm of neutral oil in a wide skillet to medium-high. Carefully place the cylinders in the pan and fry, turning gently every minute, until the caul fat turns golden and clings tightly to the filling, about 4–5 minutes total. Remove and drain on a rack.
Watch outFry the caul-wrapped rolls until the fat turns golden and clings tight to the filling — the caul must set and seal, about 4–5 minutes.
- 620 min
Transfer cylinders to a steamer over vigorously boiling water. Steam 20 minutes until the liver is cooked through. Remove and rest 5 minutes.
- 75 min
Slice cylinders diagonally into 7mm pieces. Heat 1 tbsp chilli oil in a wok over high heat; add slices and toss 30 seconds until edges re-crisp and colour deepens. Plate and serve with a saucer of Shanxi aged vinegar.
Watch outFlash-fry the steamed slices in chili oil just 30 seconds until the edges re-crisp — this rebuilds the crisp-lacquer crust the steam softened.
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