One of the simplest recipes and methods to cook a pork trotter, with simple ingredients i.e. soy sauce, dried mushrooms and some seasonings.
Pork trotters braised with soy sauce and mushrooms
Ingredients (5-8 persons)
1 pork trotter (chopped), 8-12 dried mushrooms;
1-2 tablespoon cooking oil, 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 3-4 tablespoons light soy sauce;
1 teaspoon salt, 6-8 cloves of garlic, 1 cinnamon stick (~3-4cm), 1-2 star anise, 2-4 cloves;
X cup of water (read below).
1. Blanch the chopped pork trotter - put the trotter in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, then remove it and rinse it with cold water. Blanching helps removing some unwanted substances (clogged blood, tiny bones) and odour from the pork.
2. Heat the wok and cooking oil; stir fry the garlic, cinnamon stick, star anise and cloves for a minute (until the aroma pops up).
3. Put in the trotter after that and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Then add in 1-2 cups of water and cooked it under maximum heat. Add in all the other seasonings (dark/light soy sauce and salt).
4. Cover your wok (keep the max heat), and stir the trotter every 2-3 minutes; add 1/2 cup of water if the stock start to thicken. Repeat this for 20 minutes.
This step (4) will help reduce the simmering time (5) and to ‘lock’ the flavours into the meat.
5. Put the trotter and mushrooms into a pot, add in water just enough to cover the trotter, boil it. Reduce the heat (low) after the water is boiled, simmer it for 40 minutes (add another 40 minutes if you skip step 4).
Slightly stir the trotter every 10-15 minutes to prevent sticking.
Extra Notes
Have the butcher to chop the trotter… it saves you hell of an effort chopping it yourself.
Remember to soak the dried mushrooms in water to soften it.
Cooking time and amount of seasonings are flexible upon your preferences. The above method gave a relative mild taste and just tender meat.
Add extra cooking time if you prefer softer meat. Add extra amount of light soy sauce (and salt) if you prefer stronger taste (alternatively you can add another 1-2 tablespoons oyster sauce and/or 1/2 tablespoon sugar and/or a pinch of white pepper).
Do not use a non sticky wok for step 3 (and 4)… you wok could easily spoiled (because of the sharp bones).