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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Stewed pork leg with green bananas and tofu is one of the delicious dishes that has won the hearts of many people. With a fairly simple cooking method and delicious flavor, you can completely make this dish right at home for the whole family. Let’s join TasteVN into the kitchen to prepare this stewed dish!
Ingredients for Stewed Pork Leg with Green Bananas and Tofu For 4 people
Pork leg 500 gr Green bananas 5 pieces Galangal 1/3 root Turmeric 1/3 root Perilla leaf 200 gr Tofu 2 pieces Shrimp paste 1 tablespoon Fermented rice 150 gr (about 1 cup) Vinegar A little Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Fish sauce 1/2 teaspoon Common spices A little (Salt/ sugar/ seasoning/ monosodium glutamate)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh pork hocks
- Choose meat that is bright red, and when pressed, it has a certain elasticity, does not sink, and is not slimy.
- It should have a characteristic meat smell, without any unpleasant odors.
- It is advisable to buy pork hocks from reputable places with clear origins.
How to choose fresh green bananas
- To make the dish tastier, you should not choose ripe or too raw bananas; instead, select green, mature bananas.
- Choose a bunch of bananas that are dark green, with plump, evenly curved fruit.
- To ensure quality, you should buy bananas from reputable quality establishments.
How to choose delicious tofu
- Good tofu has a slightly off-white color, if the tofu is yellowish, it often contains gypsum; the yellower the tofu, the more gypsum it contains. The interior of the tofu should look fluffy and crumbly, not hard, and the corners should not be too square to indicate it does not contain gypsum.
- Pure tofu has a light, distinctive aroma; tofu containing gypsum usually has a sharp lime smell.
- You can buy tofu at markets and supermarkets, or you can try making it at home following the TasteVN recipe.
See details: How to make soft, delicious tofu simply at home
What is Mẻ? Where to buy Mẻ
- Mẻ or fermented rice is one of the basic traditional spices of Vietnamese cuisine.
- Thanks to its sour taste and very distinctive aroma, Mẻ is often used in many dishes such as hot pot, various braised dishes, soups, or noodle soups,…
- You can find fermented rice at shops, markets, supermarkets, and liquor stores. Additionally, you can also make fermented rice at home to ensure hygiene and safety.
See details: 3 easy ways to make fermented rice at home
How to make Braised Pork Leg with Banana and Tofu
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Prepare the bananas and herbs
For the green bananas, use a knife to cut off both ends, peel the skin, and then cut the bananas into small, bite-sized pieces.
Soak the bananas in water mixed with a little salt and vinegar for about 5 minutes, then rinse them with clean water and let them drain.
Tip:
- To help the bananas maintain their richness and not become mushy when cooked, when peeling the green bananas, you should only peel a thin layer of the outer skin.
- After peeling, you need to soak them immediately in diluted saltwater and vinegar to prevent the bananas from turning dark and becoming bitter.
To clean dirt, wash the tofu with water, drain it, and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
Pick young leaves of perilla, wash them clean, drain, and then chop them finely with a knife.
Wash the galangal and turmeric, peel the skin, then grind or pound them into a paste.
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Prepare and marinate the meat
Wash the pork leg in a basin, add 2 tablespoons of salt, and soak for about 10 minutes.
To eliminate odor and clean, you should use a knife to scrape the skin off the pork leg, add 3 tablespoons of vinegar to the pork leg and then rinse with water several times, drain, and cut into bite-sized pieces about the size of a finger segment.
Tip: If you don’t have time to scrape off the hair, you can char the pork leg over a charcoal stove, which helps to clean the hair and makes the final product tastier.Marinate the pork leg with galangal, turmeric, 1 tablespoon of shrimp paste, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1/2 teaspoon of fish sauce, and strain through a sieve 1 cup of fermented rice.
Take the soaking green bananas out and marinate them together with the meat, using a spoon to stir well and marinate for about 15 minutes.
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Fry the tofu
Place a pan on the stove, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and heat it up, then add the tofu and fry over medium heat until the tofu is golden and crispy on both sides, then remove and let it drain.
Tip: If you want crispy tofu, you should deep-fry the tofu over medium heat.
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Braise with bananas
Reuse the pan used to fry the tofu, add the pork hock mixture and stir-fry for about 10 minutes until it is seared.
Add the meat to a pot, add enough hot water, tofu, and proceed to braise on low heat for 20 minutes until the pork hock is tender. Adjust the seasoning to taste, add perilla leaves, and turn off the heat.
Tip: To avoid a fishy smell, use hot water instead of cold water.
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Final Product
With just a few simple steps, you have a delicious and nutritious dish of braised pork hock with green bananas and tofu!
The pork hock is tender and fatty, with green bananas and rich tofu, combined with a sweet and sour broth, infused with the aromatic scent of turmeric, making it incredibly appealing. This dish is best served hot with white rice or noodles for a delightful flavor!
See more:
With the recipe that Điện máy XANH shares with you today, you can easily prepare braised pork hock with green bananas. Wishing you success!
*Reference images and recipes from the YouTube channel BACK TO QUAN HO REGION
