Spiced Vinegar Pork Knuckle Stew

This recipe is believe to be originated from the Canton province in China.  It is a main dish produced by the Cantonese people to celebrate the arrival of a new born.  The significant of this dish can be branched to few different levels - nutritional, energetic, and spiritual/cultural belief.  There are a few variation to this recipe alone based on personal taste and family "handing down" ways of preparation.  The recipe given here is how I remember it when my beloved grandmother preparing for my aunties.  The brands of ingredients have changed due to my current global location - Melbourne - but the taste seems to stays on and reside in my heart.

Without wasting more time, let's look at the ingredients shall we?

1kg pork knuckle - cut into manageable pieces

1kg pork knuckle meat with skin on - diced to similar size as the knuckles pieces

2 large garlic bulbs

1 fist size old ginger (brown skin) - crushed

3-4 large dried red chillies - soaked and removed seeds

5 shelled hard boiled eggs

1L premium Sweetened Black Vinegar (Pat Chun* Brand or Pearl River Bridge Brand)

500ml Premium Black Vinegar or Balsamic Vinegar

500ml water

1/2 cup dark muscovado sugar

1 cup light soy sauce

Salt to taste

Coriander and Spring onion to garnish

1 cup Chinese Cooking Wine/Rice wine

*My preferred brand of vinegar

Method:

1. Prepare a pot of boiling water and add in the rice wine.  Let it boiled for 2 minutes to reduce the alcohol.  Then placed the meat in the pot to blanched.  Bring the water back to simmer for additional 5 minutes.  This process will rid impurities from the meat.  Strained the meat out and leave it under running water.
2. Using a heavy lidded pot, place the meat first then rest of other ingredients EXCEPT the eggs.
3. Secure the lid and bring to the boil.  Then transfer the pot to smallest burner and lowest setting and let simmer for 3-4 hours with the lid tilted slightly.  Stirred content every 30 minutes to prevent sticking.
4. About 2 hours into braising the meat, add in the eggs.  Gently bathe them in simmering liquid.  Leave it to simmer for another hour.
5. The liquid will then slowly evaporate and thickened turning into glossy and lustrous dark sauce.  Taste the sauce and if needed add some salt.
6. Served up and generously garnish with coriander and spring onion.

Functions and Benefits:

1. Pork knuckle - Tonifies Qi, Blood and Marrows, lubricates dryness, and tones Yin.
2. Vinegar - Warming, Assist yang, Tonifies Qi, dries damp, benefits Qi, remove blood stasis, expels cold, disperse coagulation, and haemostatic.
3. Ginger - Regulates and benefit Qi, remove blood stasis, expels cold, and warms Middle Burner.
4. Garlic - Tones and gegulates Qi, remove blood stasis, expels cold, warms Spleen and Stomach, moves sluggish Qi, and an appetent.
5. Chillies - Assist and tones Yang, Tones Qi and Blood, warms all Three Burners, Disperse blood stasis, and diaphoretic.
6. Muscovado sugar - Assist Yang, Tonifies Qi and Blood, remove blood stasis, expel cold, Tonifies MJ, and relaxes Liver.
7. Eggs - Tones Qi and Blood, lubricates dryness, and tones Yin.

Precautions and Contraindications:

1. This dish is not recommended for daily consumption by the "general" people.
2. It is a rich dish.  It is specially made for the new mother whom in need of both nutrition as well as therapeutic food in order to recover well and also the energy needed to produce milk to feed the new born. 
   
3. However, besides it benefits for new mothers, this dish will too benefits those who are in musculoskeletal post-surgery rehabilitation program combining with daily exercise to strengthen muscles and sinews.

If you have any doubt or want to know more about this recipe, contact your TCM practitioner or myself.

Thank you for reading.

Kenny Law
Australia Registered TCM Practitioner.
 

DISCLAIMER:
Information given are purely for references and it is not intent to diagnose medical conditions or to be used for self-diagnosed. Always consult medical health personnel for proper medical diagnosis.

© COPYRIGHT 2010 KENNY LAW

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