Braised Pork Trotter (红烧元蹄）

Braised pork trotter is a very rich, savory dish which requires hours of cooking for the meat to become soft, tender, and glossy. We refer to these braised pork trotters as Yuan's trotters （元蹄）, which stand for harmony and family reunion. This dish is especially suitable for serving during Chinese New Year and festivals.

Pork trotters can be prepared in a variety of ways, such as marinating them in Huadiao wine, ginger, and rock sugar, then deep-frying them until they are crispy. There are also baked herbal trotters.

Braised pork trotter is Shanghai cuisine, but I haven't tried it, so I'm not quite sure how it tastes. But I am willing to share my version of braised pork trotters to impress your family and friends. It is very straight forward recipe. To me braised pork trotter is just something like usual braised pork, just that you going to cook the trotters in a big piece.

Some might say that this dish is too greasy, every bite of fatty pork is too greasy. But facing the braised soft and tender pig's trotters and rippling in the brine is indeed unbearable.

This braised pork trotter needs to be braised or stewed for one to one and a half hours or maybe more on low heat. And you need to flip it over like 3 to 4 times halfway cook.  As you are aware, I enjoy making recipes simpler. Therefore, I cook with a pressure cooker. Don't worry; the trotter flavour remains unaffected.

Here’s another tip, after the trotter is cooked, keep it in the refrigerator together with the gravy and let it stay overnight for more flavor.

 

INGREDIENTS

1 pork trotter

Some cooking oil (for frying)

2 tbsp light soy sauce (spread on the trotter)

2 tbsp cooking oil

2 pcs dried chilies

1 stalk spring onion

30g sliced ginger

1 whole garlic (cut half)

3 pcs bay leaves

2-star anise

1 cinnamon stick

2000ml water

 

BLANCHING

1 thumb size sliced ginger

1 stalk spring onion

2 tbsp Chinese Shaoxing wine

Enough water to cover the pork

 

SEASONING

5 tbsp oyster sauce

5 tbsp soy sauce

½ tsp black pepper

3 tbsp Shaoxing wine

50g rock sugar

½ tsp black soy sauce

½ tsp salt

CORNSTARCH SLURRY (mixed well)

2 tsp corn flour

5 tbsp water

 

METHOD

1. Put the trotter in a wok with water without turning on the flame. Add the ginger slices, spring onion and Shaoxing wine. Turn on flame and bring to a boil. Blanch the trotter for about 12 minutes to eliminate the smell.

2. Spread light soy sauce on the skin and the side, and let it dry for later use.

3. Heat up the wok with some cooking oil, fry the trotter skin on medium heat, turning occasionally to avoid burning. Fry the trotter until all the skin side is golden brown. Remove and set it aside.

4. Heat up 2 tablespoons of cooking oil into the wok at medium heat, sauté dried chili, spring onion, ginger, garlic, bay leaves, star anise and cinnamon stick until fragrance. remove and transfer to a pressure cooker. Add in the fried trotter and mushrooms, cover the lid.  Let it continue to cook for 45 minutes at HIGH HEAT.

Note: if you are cooking it in a normal pot, you need to braise it at LOW heat for one and half hours or more for soft and tender texture.

5. Wait until the steam completely released from the pressure cooker, then remove the trotter and mushrooms from the pressure cooker and transfer them to a pot.

6. Strain the sauce from the pressure cooker and pour it into the pot, taste and adjust, bring it to a boil. Thicken the sauce with some cornstarch slurry and serve.