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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Pork hock is a familiar ingredient often seen in nutritious soups. Today, let’s join TasteVN in the kitchen to try a delicious and nutritious twist on pork hock with a simple recipe for cooking green bananas at home!
Ingredients for Cooking Pork Hock with Green Bananas Serves 2
Pork hock 500 gr (sliced) Green bananas 5 fruits Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Spring onions 1 stalk Rice paddy herb A little Red onions 5 bulbs Ginger 1 piece Lemon 1 fruit Salt 1 teaspoon Cooking oil 1 tablespoon
How to choose fresh and delicious ingredients
How to choose good pork leg meat
- The meat from the front leg is softer and sweeter, suitable for boiling, stewing, and making dishes like “giả cầy”… usually at a higher price.
- The hind leg of the pig is less active, so it has more meat but also more fat. The hind leg meat is suitable for making porridge, braising, stir-frying, or minced meat…
- Choose a piece of pork leg meat that is firm, with even fibers, a dry cutting surface, and when pressed, it has high elasticity.
- It is advisable to select pieces of pork leg that are bright pink, with no unusual colors, and the cut surface has a natural, bright, dry color.
- The meat should not have a foul or fishy smell, no strange spots on the meat, should not feel slimy to the touch, and should not be blackish bruised.
How to choose good green bananas
- You should not choose ripe bananas or overly immature ones; instead, opt for green, mature bananas.
- Choose a bunch of bananas that are dark green, with evenly curved, plump fruits. If there are slight yellow spots, that’s even better; these are fresh bananas that have not been treated with chemicals.
- Avoid buying large, juicy, overly hard bananas; prefer slender, small ones with vibrant green skin and few seeds.
How to prepare Pork Leg cooked with Sour Banana
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Prepare the pork leg
The pork leg you bought has been pre-cut into slices; you wash it thoroughly under running water, cleaning off the blood vessels and coarse hair on the skin. Then, you place the pork leg into boiling water seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, waiting for the water to boil vigorously for 5 minutes before turning off the heat.
Take the pork leg out and wash it again under running water, then place it in a colander to drain.
Tips to remove the smell of pork leg
- Method 1: Before cooking it into dishes, blanch the pork leg 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 newspaper and straw to lightly scorch the pork leg, effectively removing the coarse hair on the pig’s skin. However, you should use a mini gas torch for its convenience and better flame control, avoiding the pork leg getting burnt.
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Preparation of green bananas
For the green bananas, cut off both ends, peel off a thin layer of the outer skin, and then slice them diagonally into bite-sized pieces, about 2 cm thick. Place the bananas into a bowl of cold water mixed with the juice of half a lemon and 2 teaspoons of salt immediately after cutting to prevent them from turning brown.
Soak the bananas in the diluted lemon-salt water for 10 minutes, then rinse them thoroughly with cold water and place them in a colander to drain.
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Stewed Pork Leg with Green Bananas
Place a pot on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, and heat on high until the oil is hot. Then, add 5 shallots and 1 crushed ginger root into the pot and sauté until fragrant. When the shallots and ginger release their aroma, quickly add the cleaned pork leg and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add 2 liters of water to the pot, along with the green bananas to stew together.
Season the pot with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder. Use a spoon to stir well to dissolve the spices into the water. Cover and stew the pork leg for about 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, open the lid, check that the pork leg is tender, adjust the seasoning to taste, and then turn off the heat. Scoop the soup into a bowl, sprinkle with some chopped scallions and cilantro, and it’s ready to enjoy.
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Final Product
The delicious braised pork leg is presented in a bowl, still steaming hot and incredibly enticing. The pork leg is braised to tenderness, juicy, and paired with soft, slightly crunchy, fragrant green bananas that enhance the flavor immensely.
The broth, simmered with the pork leg, is sweet and light, seasoned just right, making the dish even more irresistible. This is a soup that is not only delicious but also very nutritious, with simple preparation steps, suitable for adding to the family meal menu.
Above is a guide on how to make braised pork leg with green bananas, delicious, rich in flavor, and a simple and easy recipe that anyone can follow. Wishing you success with this recipe!
*Images and recipes referenced from the YouTube channel Delicious Vietnamese Dishes.
