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How to Make Pork Skin Jelly

Boneless Chicken Feet Finished Product

Pork skin jelly is a simple and easy-to-make dish. It is a "evergreen" staple on the New Year's Eve dinner tables in Northern China. With its crystal-clear appearance and smooth, chewy texture, it is an absolutely superb appetizer for drinking.

Pork skin is known for its beauty benefits, but the preparation is slightly more challenging, with an estimated time of 24 hours.

Estimated Cooking Difficulty: ★★★☆☆

Essential Ingredients and Tools

  • Pork skin
  • Star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, Angelica dahurica, Cinnamon bark, Cloves, Bay leaves, Fennel seeds

Calculations

Per batch:

  • Main Ingredients: Pork skin 1kg, Water 4kg
  • Seasonings: Salt 13g, MSG 10g, Chicken essence 15g, Light soy sauce 50ml, Dark soy sauce 20ml, Green onion 10g, Ginger slices 20g
  • Spice Pack: Star anise 10g, Sichuan peppercorns 5g

Instructions

  • Cut the pork skin into pieces no larger than 10cm. Soak in clear water for 12 hours. Then, place them in a pot with cold water, add 10g of ginger and 50ml of cooking wine. Blanch for 5-10 minutes, then remove and place in cold water.
  • Place the blanched pork skin on a cutting board. Remove all the white fatty meat from the inner side. Then, cut into strips no thicker than 3mm and place in a bowl.
  • Add 20g of white vinegar and 5g of salt. Scrub vigorously for 3 minutes, then rinse with clear water. At this point, the pork skin should have almost no gamey smell.
  • Add 4kg of water to a pot. Add the pork skin, 10g of green onion, 10g of ginger slices, 10g of star anise, and 5g of Sichuan peppercorns. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer on low heat for 90 minutes until the pork skin is soft and tender.
  • Add 8g of salt, 10g of MSG, 15g of chicken essence, 50ml of light soy sauce, and 20ml of dark soy sauce for seasoning. Pour into a dish, remove the green onion, ginger, and star anise. Let it cool until it sets into a jelly-like consistency.
  • Refrigerate. When ready to serve, cut into small pieces or thick slices.

Additional Notes

  • During preparation, be careful. Putting pork skin directly into the pot to boil will ruin it; this is the biggest taboo. You must continuously scrub the pork skin with white vinegar and salt to ensure the final product is crystal-clear and free of any gamey smell.
  • Reference: Ming Ge Talks About Food

If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for improvement while following this guide, please submit an Issue or Pull request.