Pork hock is a familiar ingredient often seen in stews, braised dishes, or soups such as noodle soup, hu tieu,… Today, let’s join TasteVN in the kitchen to try transforming the delicious and nutritious pork hock with the recipe for 2 braised dishes using pork hock!
1. Braised Pork Hock
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
40 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Braised Pork Hock Serves 4
Pork hock 750 g Green mango 1 fruit Coconut water 200 ml Spring onions 2 stalks Red onions 3 bulbs Garlic 2 cloves Chili peppers 2 fruits Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Soy sauce 1/2 tablespoon Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Common spices a little (sugar/ pepper/ seasoning powder)
Ingredient Image
How to Prepare Braised Pork Trotters
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Prepare the pork trotters
When purchasing the pork trotters, use a razor blade to scrape off the hair, then rub with salt to eliminate any unpleasant smell. Cut the trotters into manageable pieces and remove the fat and bones.
The meat obtained after preparation will weigh about 500g.
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Prepare other ingredients
Finely chop garlic, shallots, and the green part of the scallions. Cut the green onions into small pieces. Smash the chili.
Wash the green mango in diluted salt water, peel it. Use a knife to lightly chop the mango flesh and then shred it into thin strips.
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Cook the caramel and marinate the meat
Add 1/2 tablespoon of brown sugar and 1/2 tablespoon of water into a pot, turn on medium heat until the sugar starts to dissolve and bubbles form.
Continue to cook until the caramel thickens and turns light yellow, then take it off the heat, add in 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, and stir well.
Once the caramel has slightly cooled, add in 1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.
Add the pork hocks into the caramel and stir to ensure they are well coated, marinate the meat until the sugar at the bottom of the caramel pot dissolves completely.
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Braised Pork Leg
Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the pot, then add shallots, garlic, green onions, and chili to sauté until fragrant.
Add the marinated pork leg into the pot and stir-fry quickly over high heat until the meat is firm and beautifully colored.
Add the remaining marinade, reduce the heat, pour in 200ml of coconut water and simmer without covering the pot so that the sauce seeps into the meat.
Simmer for about 30 minutes, use chopsticks to pierce the meat to check if it is tender, and when the sauce has thickened to a suitable consistency, turn off the heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and finely chopped green onions to enhance the flavor and appearance of the dish.
The braised meat is now complete!
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Final Product
The hot braised meat is rich in flavor and has an appealing color. The skin of the pork leg is glossy, absorbing color and slightly chewy, while the meat is tender and juicy, delicious.
Braised pork leg is a dish that is already rich in flavor, now served with crunchy, sour, and sweet shredded green mango, drizzled with a spoonful of thick braising sauce over a steaming bowl of rice.
This will be an indispensable dish in every family’s meal menu!
2. Braised pork leg with pineapple
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
50 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Braised Pork Leg with Pineapple Serves 6 people
Pork leg 500 gr Pineapple 1/4 fruit (pineapple) Straw mushrooms 100 gr Fresh coconut water 250 ml Braised meat seasoning powder 1 packet (32gr) Minced garlic 1/2 tablespoon Minced shallots 1/2 tablespoon Green onion 1/2 tablespoon Ginger 1 piece Spring onions 10 gr Chili 1 fruit Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Pepper 1 teaspoon
How to choose good pineapples
- Color: Choose fruits that have a bright yellow color from the stem to the bottom. There may be a few eyes that are slightly green, but if the pineapple is evenly yellow, its sweetness will be higher. Avoid choosing fruits that are uneven in color, have dark brown spots, or are yellowish-red as they are overripe. Also, do not choose pineapples that are still green, as it will take a long time for them to ripen.
- Shape: round and short pineapples will have more flesh compared to long, cylindrical ones.
- Skin layer: The skin of an overripe pineapple will be wrinkled. Good, fresh pineapples will not be too hard or too soft; pressing a finger into them will not create a dent.
- Pineapple eyes: The larger and sparser the eyes, the better.
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Fragrance: Smell the stem; if it has a fragrant scent, you should choose it, avoiding those with little or no smell as they are not ripe. Also, do not choose fruits that have a slightly sour smell, as that indicates they are overripe.
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Pineapple crown: The greener the color, the fresher the pineapple. If the crown of the pineapple is dry or turning brown, it indicates that the fruit is overripe.
How to choose good straw mushrooms
- Choose mushrooms that are intact, not bruised, have the characteristic aroma of mushrooms, are round, and still have caps.
- Avoid choosing mushrooms with caps that have fully opened and have a foul smell.
- Black straw mushrooms typically have a richer flavor and aroma than white straw mushrooms.
How to Prepare Pineapple Braised Pork Knuckles
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Prepare the Ingredients
Wash 1/4 of a pineapple, then cut it into small pieces. Take 1/3 of the chopped pineapple and put it in a kitchen cloth bag to extract 50ml of juice.
Soak straw mushrooms in salted water for about 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly several times with clean water, cut off the stems and split them in half.
Wash the pork knuckles lightly and cut them into thick slices. Use a razor blade to scrape off the hair on the skin of the knuckles.
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Blanch and Marinate the Pork Knuckles
Put the pork knuckles in a pot of boiling water with a few slices of ginger for about 5 minutes, until the knuckles are firm and foam rises to the surface, then turn off the heat, remove the knuckles, and rinse them with cold water.
Pat the blanched pork knuckles dry and place them in a large bowl/dish. Add 1/2 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1/2 tablespoon of finely chopped spring onion, 1 teaspoon of pepper, 1 packet of Knorr braised meat seasoning, and 50ml of pineapple juice. Mix the seasonings well and rub them evenly over the surface of the knuckles to absorb the flavors.
Marinate the pork knuckles for 30 minutes.
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Cooking pork leg
Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to a hot pan, sauté 1/4 tablespoon minced shallots until fragrant.
When the shallots are fragrant, add the diced pineapple and straw mushrooms and stir-fry quickly.
Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and 1/4 tablespoon of minced shallots to a pot for braising. Sauté the shallots until fragrant, arrange the marinated pork leg in the pot, pour in the marinade, and add 250ml of coconut water. Simmer on low heat until the liquid reduces and thickens slightly.
When the braising liquid has thickened, add the stir-fried pineapple and mushrooms to the pot and cook for 10 minutes over high heat.
Finally, season with chopped green onions and a few slices of fresh chili.
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Final Product
On these cold winter days, nothing beats having a pot of hot braised pork and steaming white rice.
Each piece of pork leg is evenly colored, infused with aromatic spices. The skin is dark brown, slightly translucent with a rich flavor that is both chewy and crispy.
A bowl of hot white rice soaked in the smooth braising sauce, with the sweet and sour taste of pineapple, the light fragrant aroma of mushrooms, and a bit of spiciness from fresh chili.
This is a simple yet incredibly delicious dish, perfect for family meals at any home!
How to choose good pork knuckle
Depending on the taste and preferences of your family, you can choose to buy the front or back knuckle:
- The meat in the front knuckle is softer and sweeter, suitable for boiling, stewing, or making braised dishes… usually has a higher price.
- The back leg of the pig is less active, so it has more meat but also has more fat. The back knuckle meat is suitable for making porridge, braising, stir-frying, or minced meat…
Notes when choosing pork knuckle
- Choose a knuckle piece that is firm, with even meat fibers, a dry cutting surface, and high elasticity when pressed.
- It is advisable to choose knuckle pieces that have a bright pink color, no unusual colors, with a natural, bright, and dry cutting surface.
- The meat should not have any foul or fishy smell, there should be no unusual particles on the meat, it should not feel slimy or have black bruises when touched.
Tips to eliminate the smell of pork knuckle
- Method 1: Before cooking, blanch the pork knuckle in boiling water for about 2 – 3 minutes, then rinse with cold water.
- Method 2: Use a mini gas torch set to medium or burn leftover newspapers, straw to lightly char the pork knuckle, effectively removing the coarse hair on the pig’s skin. However, you should use a mini gas torch for convenience and better control of the flame to avoid burning the pork knuckle.
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Above is a guide on how to make 2 delicious braised pork leg dishes that are incredibly simple and easy to prepare, which anyone can make. Wishing you success with this soy sauce braised pork leg recipe!
*Images and recipes referenced from the YouTube channel Vành Khuyên Lê and Cooky TV.
