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Skewered Chicken Livers, Water Chestnuts And Bacon
(Rumaki)
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| What You Need: |
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1 pound fresh chicken livers, or thoroughly defrosted frozen chicken livers
˝ Japanese soy sauce
˝ brown sugar
˝ water
A 3-inch length of fresh ginger root, scraped and lightly crushed with a mallet or the flat of a heavy knife
A 2-inch piece of stick cinnamon
1 large garlic clove, peeled
8 star anise (see Glossary)
2 medium-sized bay leaves
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
12 fresh water chestnuts, peeled and cut crosswise into halves, or 12 canned whole water chestnuts, drained and cut crosswise into halves
12 lean slices of bacon, cut crosswise into halves
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| How To Cook: |
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1. With a small, sharp knife, cut away and discard the fat or bits of green gall from the chicken livers. Wash them quickly under cold running water and pat them dry with paper towels. Cut each liver into two pieces of approximately the same size.
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2. In a heavy 2- to 3-quart saucepan, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, water, ginger root, cinnamon, garlic, star anise and bay leaves and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil over moderate heat.
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3. Reduce the heat to low, add the chicken livers and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes, or until the livers are firm and still pink inside. With a slotted spoon, transfer them to a plate to cool.
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4. If you wish to reuse the cooking liquid, strain it through a fine sieve set over a bowl, cover tightly and refrigerate. It can be kept safely for a week or two. Discard the seasonings.
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5. Pour oil into a deep fryer or large, heavy saucepan to a depth of 3 inches and heat the oil until it reaches a temperature of 375°F on a deep-frying thermometer.
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6. To assemble each rumaki, thread a piece of chicken liver and a water-chestnut half on a wooden toothpick. Insert the tip of the toothpick through one end of a half slice of bacon and twist the bacon around the liver and chestnut.
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7. Deep-fry the rumaki 7 or 8 at a time, turning them about gently with a slotted spoon for about 1 minute, or until the bacon is crisp and golden. As they brown, transfer them to paper towels to drain. Serve at once.
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