Braised Pork Trotters is a classic Chinese dish. The trotters are braised until tender and fall-off-the-bone, packed with collagen. With a glossy red finish and rich savory sauce, it’s absolutely irresistible with steamed rice.
🌴 Ingredients:
· 2 pork trotters (about 800g, chopped into pieces)
🌴 Aromatics:
· 5-6 slices of ginger
· 2 stalks of scallion (cut into segments)
· 5-6 cloves of garlic (smashed)
· 2 star anise
· 1 small piece of cinnamon stick
· 2 bay leaves
· 2 dried red chilies (optional)
🌴 Seasonings:
· 3 tbsp light soy sauce (about 30ml)
· 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (about 10ml, for color)
· 1 tbsp oyster sauce (about 10ml)
· 2 tbsp cooking wine (about 20ml, for blanching)
· 1 small piece of rock sugar (about 15g, for color and flavor)
· Salt, to taste
· Cooking oil, as needed
🌴 Instructions:
- Blanch the Trotters
Place the trotters in a pot of cold water with ginger, scallion, and cooking wine. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, and rinse with warm water. ⚠️ Note: Never rinse with cold water, or the meat will contract and become tough. I’ve tried it, and the trotters stayed tough even after a long braise. - Caramelize the Sugar
Heat a little oil in a pan, add the rock sugar, and stir over low heat until it melts and turns a dark amber color. Immediately add the trotters and stir-fry to coat each piece. ⚠️ Note: Never use high heat to caramelize the sugar, as it burns easily and turns bitter. I’ve tried it, and the sugar burned instantly, ruining the dish. - Add Ingredients and Simmer
Add the ginger, scallion, garlic, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, and dried chilies, and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and oyster sauce, and mix well. Pour in hot water to cover the trotters. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat, cover, and simmer for 1.5 hours. ⚠️ Note: Always use hot water; cold water will toughen the trotters. - Reduce and Serve
Once the trotters are tender, season with salt to taste. Turn to high heat to reduce the sauce until thickened and coating the trotters. Serve, garnished with scallion. ⚠️ Note: Add salt at the end; adding it too early will toughen the trotters.
💡 Tips:
The key to Braised Pork Trotters is “tender, fall-off-the-bone meat, and a glossy red color.” Blanch the trotters in cold water and rinse with warm water. Caramelize the sugar over low heat to prevent burning. Use hot water for braising. Add salt at the end so the trotters become tender.
If you enjoy this rich and tender flavor, you should also try my Braised Pork Belly. For more classic main dishes, check out my Main Dishes category.
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