Pig Trotter Vinegar 猪脚醋

I love this dish though traditionally cooked for women during their post natal confinement, I have made adjustment to the amount of ginger so it’s great for anyone, anytime.

I remember cooking this for a friend’s wife after she had given birth and used 1kg of old ginger in this stew. It is believed to warm the womb and remove wind. Pig trotters are packed-full of collagen too.

This bowl is neatly 2 days old. Although it tastes better with each passing day, I seldom have much left beyond 3 days.

I buy the front trotter and my butcher who gives the trotter a good shave and chops the trotter into good size chunks. Excellent service, I call this!

Preparation may take time but the cooking is simple. I will wash the pieces in water, to remove all the bone chips and residual blood. This I do many times until the all bone chips and loose bones are removed and the water is almost clear.

Then I blanch the trotter in hot water, at least twice to further clean it. You could boil it over the fire but I have found just pouring hot water over the pieces is good enough.

Drain the water and set trotter aside. We are now ready to cook.

Ingredients

1 pig trotter, front hock, chopped and prepared as mentioned above.

1 bottle/750ml black rice vinegar. (I use Chan Kong Thye – bulldog pink label black sweet rice vinegar)

1500ml water

1 cup black sugar/brown sugar

Half kg or less old ginger. Washed, peeled and bruised, (I use a pestle to bruise the ginger).

4 tabsp sesame oil

Method

1. in a large non-metal pot (I use a Pyrex casserole. You could use a large clay pot), pour sesame oil to heat over medium fire. Once oil is slightly smoking, put ginger to fry for about 2-3 minutes.

2. Next, put in trotters, vinegar, water, sugar and ginger. Bring to boil covered, then lower the fire and allow to stew for at least 2 hours or until trotters are tender. Then turn off fire.

3. I recommend that you leave overnight and eat only the next day so as to allow flavours to develop. I would heat contents to a boil then leave it over the stove. Then reheat again the following day, especially before serving.

Note:

You might want to put in hard boiled eggs. This can be added with the trotters after an hour into the stewing.

Main ingredients. So simple.