Braised Pig Trotters Recipe

Braised Pig Trotters

Braised pig trotters are rich in nutrients, flavorful, with a thick sauce that pairs perfectly with rice.

Estimated Cooking Difficulty: ★★★★

Essential Ingredients and Tools

This recipe serves 3-4 people.

Place the chopped pig trotters from the butcher into a pot of cold water. Add 20 ml of cooking wine, ginger, and green onions. Boil for 15 minutes to remove the gamey smell.
Heat a pan with cold oil. Pour in 30ml of cooking oil, add 7-8 pieces of rock sugar, and turn the heat to low. Melt the sugar until it turns into a caramel color, crushing the sugar pieces with a spatula. This takes about 2 minutes.
Once the caramel is ready, add the blanched pig trotters. Continue cooking on low heat, stirring until the trotters are lightly browned on both sides.
Add 2 bay leaves, 1 piece of cinnamon bark, 4 star anise, 20 ml of light soy sauce, 20 ml of dark soy sauce, 10 ml of cooking wine, 3 slices of ginger, and 8 grams of salt. Increase the heat to medium and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Add boiling or cold water, ensuring the liquid covers the trotters. Cover the pot, bring to a boil over high heat, then turn off the heat.
Transfer all ingredients into a pressure cooker. Cook under pressure for 15 minutes. (If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can simmer in a regular pot, starting on high heat and then reducing to low.)
After 15 minutes, pour the contents back into a wok. Turn the heat to high to reduce the sauce. Taste the sauce with chopsticks; if it's bland, add 2~3g of salt.
The time required to reduce the sauce depends on the amount of liquid in the pot. Usually, 30 seconds is sufficient. Leaving a bit more sauce is fine, as the braising sauce is also great with rice.

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