Chaogan (Braised Liver and Intestines)

Chaogan is a traditional old-Beijing breakfast: pork liver and intestine braised with plenty of garlic in a thick, glossy starch-bound sauce — rich and pungent, usually eaten alongside steamed buns.

Evolved from an earlier offal soup, chaogan took its present form in Beijing around the turn of the twentieth century, becoming a common sight at breakfast stalls — thoroughly redolent of hutong life.

The cleaned intestine and liver are stewed with garlic and thickened with starch into a glossy pottage, served in a small bowl; tradition has it sipped from the rim of the bowl, with steamed buns on the side for the most authentic pairing.

Its appeal is rich, fragrant and smooth: a thick sauce coating the offal, abundant garlic cutting any heaviness, the liver tender and the intestine soft and savory — a bold, satisfying member of the old-Beijing breakfast table.