Vinegar pork trotters with black beans

Okay, I overdo the beans but nobody's complaining

Vinegar pork trotters are a must have for many Chinese women recuperating after childbirth. It is said to be nourishing and helps the new mother in  nursing her child.

The key to a mean bowl of trotters is good quality rice vinegar. That said, it would never do to have only lean meat, but a mixture of fat and gelatinous pork which keeps the acidity in check. The sharp tang of the vinegar is a great appetite booster  and  is good on its own, with a bowl of hot, fluffy  rice. I know of some guys who love this dish as well, and must have gladly eaten it together with their wives during the 'confinement'.

I was pondering what to cook for a group of mostly old ladies, living under the care of a welfare group, when I thought this dish would be a treat for them. They  deemed it a delicacy and most were transported to the happier days when they had it .

Vinegar has the ability to tenderize meat which makes for relatively easy cooking . Simply choose the best black vinegar you can afford and the rest will fall in place on their own. Black beans is a new addition for me, but hubby said he had seen his Cantonese  mum adding this. In either case, both beans and pork provide good textural contrast and makes a completely black looking dish more interesting.

There's no better way to eat the skin of pork than this

Ingredients :

250g black beans

2 front hock, split and chopped to chunks

1 kg tweebak /  hind meat, cut to bite size

500g very young ginger, cut to bite size

4 T black molasses

1 big bottle sweet black rice vinegar

1 T canola oil

3 T sesame oil

1.5 cup of water

Method :

To prepare the beans :

Heat a pot on medium high heat.

Fry the beans, tossing continuously.

The shell of the black beans will split, about 10 minutes. Take care not to burn them.

Turn off heat and pour enough water to cover the beans.

Cover the pot and wait for 30 minutes.

Rub the beans to remove the shells.  Drain the ( floating ) shells by draining off the water.

Repeat until only the beans are left behind, without shell.

Set aside.

Prepare the trotters :

Bring a pot of water to the boil.

Blanch pork and hock chunks. Drain off bloody water.

Heat a pressure pot, with canola oil and sesame oil.

Add pork and ginger, tossing well for 5 minutes.

Add ginger chunks, vinegar, water,  molasses .

Pressure cook for 1 hour.

Remove pot cover and cook for another 15-30 minutes, to reduce the liquid content.

Serve hot with white rice.