Soy Sauce Braised Pork Trotters

Connie Veneracion

Often discarded at the butcher’s in North America as being unfit for human consumption, pork trotters are a delicacy in Asia. Browned then slow cooked, Chinese soy sauce braised pork trotters are sticky, gelatinous and delicious.

Is it a main dish or an appetizer? Treat it as both. You can even enjoy it as a snack.

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 3 hrs

Total Time 3 hrs 10 mins

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine Chinese

Servings people

Ingredients

3 kilograms pork trotters
¼ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
2 pieces cloves
¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
2 whole star anise
1 half-inch piece cinnamon bark
6 cloves garlic lightly pounded
3 shallots cut into halves
1 two-inch knob ginger
3 to 4 bird's eye chilies plus more to garnish
¼ cup dark soy sauce
¼ cup light soy sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar
finely sliced scallions to garnish
6 hard-boiled eggs to garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400F.
Rinse, scrub and rinse the pork trotters. If there are visible hairs, burn them with a kitchen torch. Rub dry with a kitchen towel.
Lay the pork trotters in a single layer on a baking tray. Roast at 400F until browned and caramelized.
Dump the browned pork trotters into a large pot. Cover with water and start heating.
Meanwhile, in an oil-free pan, lightly toast the Szhechuan peppercorns, cloves, fennel seeds, star anise and cinnamon bark.
Dump the toasted spices into the pot with the pork trotters along with the garlic, shallots, ginger and chilies.
Pour in the soy sauces and stir in the sugar.
Bring everything to a gentle boil then lower the heat, cover the pot and simmer the pork trotters for two-and-a-half to three hours or until very tender (literally falling off the bones) and the sauce has reduced.
To serve, scoop out the pork trotters and move to a serving bowl. Strain the broth (it's optional) and pour over the trotters.
Garnish with scallions, chilies and hard-boiled eggs.

Keyword Offal, Pork

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