Taiwanese Braised Pork Trotter

Taiwanese-style braised pork trotter isn't difficult to make. The most important thing is controlling the heat - keep it very, very low, and frequently flipping the pork trotter to prevent burning. If you want more sauce for rice or noodles, increase the initial water amount and don't reduce the sauce too much, adjusting the seasoning as needed.

This recipe uses the hind leg, which has less meat. If you prefer more meat, you can substitute with the front leg. For substitutions, if you don't have soy paste or oyster sauce, you can just use soy sauce; any type of sugar works. Rice wine can be substituted with red cooking wine or Shaoxing wine for different flavors. 

Recipe by Foodie Goodie 食貨誌

Taiwanese Braised Pork Trotter
十三香滷豬腳

Serves 4

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pork trotter
• 1500 ml water
• 100 ml rice wine
• 1 thirteen-spice braising packet (25g)
• 2 green onions
• 8 slices of ginger
• 3 cloves of garlic (skin on)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy paste
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons sugar (3 tablespoons if you prefer sweeter)
• Cooking oil as needed

Instructions

1. First, prepare the aromatics. Don't peel the garlic - you'll remove all aromatics after cooking for an hour. Peeled garlic will dissolve and make the broth cloudy. Remember this!
2. Place the pork hock in a pot with cold water (not included in recipe measurements) and turn on the heat.
3. After it boils, maintain boiling for 5 minutes to slightly cook the outer layer and prevent blood from getting into the broth.
4. Remove the trotter and soak in cold water to cool it for the next cleaning step.
5. Use a knife to scrape the skin surface to remove dirt and hardened keratin.
6. Then wash the trotter clean again. This completes the first stage of preparation.
7. If you want your braised trotter to have a springy texture, you need to deep-fry it and then soak in ice water. If you prefer soft, tender trotter, you can skip this step. Fry the trotter at about 160°C until the skin turns slightly yellow.
8. Please be very careful when frying trotters as they will splatter! Before putting the trotter in the oil, hold the trotter in one hand and the pot lid in the other. As soon as it goes in the pot, cover immediately, and wait until the splattering sound decreases before opening the lid.
9. Immediately soak the fried trotter in cold water with some ice cubes (not included in recipe measurements) for better results. Soak for 5 minutes then remove. The trotter preparation is now complete!
10. Heat a wok, add 1 tablespoon cooking oil, and stir-fry the green onions, ginger, and garlic until fragrant.
11. Add 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon soy paste, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Stir-fry briefly. It's important to stir-fry the sauces to bring out their aroma.
12. Add 100 ml rice wine, stir-fry briefly, then add 1500 mlwater and mix well.
13. Transfer the liquid and aromatics from the wok to a soup pot. Add the thirteen-spice packet and the trotter, then bring to a boil over high heat. The reason for transferring to a soup pot is that it's better for braising. Using a wok for braising trotters is possible, but be aware that with an iron wok, the seasoned oil film inside may flake off during long cooking and mix into the broth. Many people who use woks for braising trotters end up with black sediment in the broth that looks dirty - this is why. It's safer to use a soup pot for braising.
14. After it boils, reduce to low heat and cover. The heat must be very low. Check occasionally and flip the trotter, as it can easily burn if it stays in contact with the pot bottom for too long.
15. After 45 minutes, remove the spice packet, green onions, ginger, and garlic.
16. Now comes the critical part for successful braising: uncover the pot and continue cooking on low heat for another 45 minutes. Remember to flip the trotter every 5 minutes to prevent it from sticking to the bottom and burning. Keep the heat very low to prevent the liquid from reducing too quickly before the trotter is fully cooked. If the liquid reduces too quickly, add one or two tablespoons of water as needed.
17. After 45 minutes, if you've controlled the heat properly, about 1/3 of the thick broth should remain (about 500cc). Your thirteen-spice braised trotter is now ready!