Veal Sweetbreads in Chinese Orange Sauce
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Author:
Bex Blundy
Servings
1
Prep Time
3 hours
Cook Time
20 minutes
Inspired by the famous Chinese takeaway dish 'orange chicken', these veal sweetbreads are deep-fried until crispy in a cornstarch coating. The sauce is fragrant with ginger, with floral orange notes and plenty of umami flavour from high quality soy sauce and fish sauce. Serve with a fresh garnish of spring onions and chilli, and serve with steamed rice.
Ingredients
For the sweetbreads
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250g veal sweetbreads
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1 pint of milk, to soak the sweetbreads
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20g plain flour
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30g cornflour
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½ teaspoon Chinese five spice
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Salt and white pepper, to season the dredge
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500ml vegetable oil for deep-frying
For the sauce
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Juice of two oranges, zest of one orange
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1 teaspoon brown sugar
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1 tablespoon white sugar
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1 tablespoon garlic powder
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½ teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
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1 teaspoon mirin
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1 clove garlic, microplaned
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1 inch ginger, microplaned
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2 tablespoons soy sauce
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1 teaspoon fish sauce
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2 teaspoons cornstarch, stirred into 100ml water, to make a slurry to thicken the sauce
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2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
To garnish
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White sesame seeds, to garnish
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Red chilli, sliced, to garnish
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Spring onion, sliced, to garnish
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Rice, to serve
Directions
Soak the sweetbreads: Soak the sweetbreads in milk for 3 hours
Boil the sweetbreads: Boil the sweetbreads for 5 minutes in salted water
Prepare the sweetbreads: Remove the membrane from the sweetbreads, it should pull away easily after boiling. Pull any tubes or sinew out of the sweetbreads. Cut into 7 or 8 chunks ready to deep-fry
Deep-fry the sweetbreads: Heat oil to to 185°C. Toss the sweetbreads in the cornflour, flour, ½ teaspoon Chinese five spice, salt and white pepper. Deep-fry the sweetbreads for 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown. Leave them to the side whilst you prepare the sauce
Make the sauce: Put all of the sauce ingredients into a frying pan or saucepan, apart from the sesame oil and the slurry mix. Whisk together, then heat over medium until bubbling. Then add in the cornstarch slurry and heat the sauce, stirring the whole time until very thick (around 2 minutes)
Add the fried sweetbreads: Into the sauce. Toss to coat them. Now stir through the two tablespoons of toasted sesame oil and add in the sesame seeds
Serve the sweetbreads: With the spring onion and red chilli garnishes, and steamed rice on the side
Recipe Video
Recipe Note
Sweetbreads FAQs
What are sweetbreads?
Sweetbreads are offal taken from the throat (the thymus gland) or the pancreas gland of calves or lambs. They have a rich flavour and a soft, tender texture.
How do I cook sweetbreads?
First of all, sweetbreads should be soaked in milk (or salted water) for at least three hours before cooking, to remove impurities and any excess blood. Boiling them for five minutes helps to remove the sticky membrane. Then we'd recommend deep-frying in a crispy dredge for a crunchy outside and silky inside. You can also simply pan-fry them in butter.
What is offal?
Offal refers to the edible organs and entrails of an animal. In the UK, cooking with offal is growing in popularity thanks to restaurants like St John showcasing how you can use all of the animal. This practice is known as 'nose-to-tail' eating.
How to make Chinese orange sauce?
Traditionally served with prawns or chicken, this orange sauce compliments veal sweetbreads' rich flavour and soft, silky texture. It is made by combining traditional Chinese sauces like soy and fish sauce with the juice and zest of orange, plenty of ginger and garlic, and thickening with a cornstarch slurry.
Ingredients you'll need
