Chinese braised pork hock
A whole pork hock is browned until the skin blisters then slow cooked with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, shallots, peppercorns, bay leaves and star anise.
Servings 4 people
Equipment
- Slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1.5 kilograms pork hock (3.3 pounds) with or without the trotter
- ½ head garlic (about 8 cloves)
- 1 two-inch piece ginger
- 2 shallots
- ½ teaspoon peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 star anise
- 3 cups bone broth
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon potato or corn starch
- 12 baby corns
- 2 to 4 bunches bok choy
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 475F. If your oven temperature can go higher than that, set it at the highest temperature.
- Rinse the pork hock, wipe dry with a kitchen towel then position on a rack (with a tray underneath to catch drippings) and roast until the skin blisters, around 45 to 55 minutes.
- Transfer the pork hock to the slow cooker.
- Throw in the garlic, ginger, shallots, peppercorns, bay leaves and star anise.
- Pour in the broth.
- Season with soy sauce and sugar (the amount of each depends on how the broth had been seasoned; just find the balance that pleases your taste buds).
- Set the slow cooker to HIGH.
- After an hour, reduce the heat to LOW. Cook the pork hock for another five hours, or a total of six hours in the slow cooker.
- About 30 minutes before the cooking time is up, dissolve the starch in one-fourth cup of water and pour into the slow cooker in a thin stream.
- Cook the baby corn and bok choy in lightly salted water, then drain.
- To serve, scoop out the pork hock and transfer to a serving bowl. Strain the thickened sauce and pour over the meat. Arrange the baby corn and bok choy on the side.
- Serve the Chinese braised pork hock with rice or with Chinese buns.
