Common Mistakes When Boiling Pork Heart
- Buying non-standard heart: You should avoid thin and tangy sections of the heart with yellowish internal fluids as they are usually tough and bitter. It is best to choose the top part of the heart as it is thicker and crunchier than the bottom part, with a round and white internal fluid. However, this part tends to sell out quickly and if you can’t buy it.
- Boiling the heart in cold water: Boiled heart will be tough if you put it in cold water and then gradually heat it up. This is the most serious mistake. The correct way is to boil the water vigorously and then add the heart.
- Boiling for too long: Boiling the heart for too long will make it tough. After adding the heart to the boiling water over high heat, you need to quickly remove it when it is just cooked to ensure its crispiness.
- Letting the heart cool after removing it: After removing the heart, immediately place it in a bowl of cold water (with a few ice cubes if possible) squeezed with lemon juice, the heart will be crispy and white. If you leave it on a plate to cool on its own, the dish will not only be tough but also become dark and dry, looking less appealing.
Tips for Boiling White, Crunchy, Non-Bitter Heart
Take a look at the following tips to be able to make a delicious dish of heart for the whole family to enjoy.
Choose good quality heart
To buy the best quality and fresh heart, you need to find a reputable, high-quality source.
Pork heart can be bitter and tough, especially the bottom part, large and thin sections, with yellowish internal fluids and darker color mingled with blood streaks. When choosing good quality heart, you should choose the top part of the heart, small connecting parts, round and tense intestines, with pinkish white color and white internal fluids.
Cleaning the heart
For normal pig hearts, it is not necessary to squeeze it with salt, ginger, lemon or alcohol. You just need to turn the intestines inside out, remove all layers of fat, then mix wheat flour with a little salt and knead well, then rinse under clean water. After that, use lemon to rub against the heart to remove any remaining dirt, and finally rinse again under running water. With this method, the pig heart is both clean and fresh.
As for young hearts, you should only let the water run through the heart, or lightly clean it, then rinse again.
Proper boiling method
Prepare a bowl of cold water with a few drops of lemon juice or use cold water mixed with a little vinegar, boil the water and let it cool.
Boil the water vigorously before adding the heart. This step will determine whether the heart is delicious or not. Adding it to boiling water will ensure that the heart is just cooked and crispy.
Add a little ginger to make the heart more fragrant.
Let the water boil for 2-3 minutes until the heart turns pink, then remove it and soak it in the cold water with a few drops of lemon juice. This way, the heart is crispy, has a beautiful white color, and is not black. Normally, the total cooking time from adding the heart to the boiling water to removing it is about 7-10 minutes (depending on the amount of ingredients).
For young hearts, just bring the water to a boil for a few minutes, then turn off the heat. Remove the heart and immediately place it in a container of boiling water with a little vinegar and some ice cubes to cool. Then remove it and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
The most important thing to keep the heart white and crispy is to cook it quickly and remove it as soon as it is just cooked. The longer it is cooked, the tougher it will become.
Note:
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Pay attention to choosing thick, young hearts, gently squeeze them to check for white internal fluids. If the fluids are yellow, the heart will be bitter.
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If you can choose double hearts, they will be even more delicious, but you have to go to the market early or pre-order from the vendor.
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Don’t squeeze or clean too carefully as the heart will become tough and dry.
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If you prefer to eat hot, just quickly blanch it in boiling water and enjoy. In some restaurants, they use porcelain bowls with candles underneath to keep it hot.
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Young hearts cook quickly, so the total cooking time is only about 2.5 – 3 minutes. After boiling, remove them, soak them in cold water mixed with vinegar and a few ice cubes to cool, then remove them and slice them for serving.