This is a favourite among postpartum Hakka ladies during their confinement. Its hot and sour taste invigorates the weak mothers after giving birth.
The steps to cooking this dish are as follows:
1) Use a stainless steel or enamel or clay pot for this purpose. An aluminium pot will not be suitable because the acid (vinegar) will react with the metal and may cause metal poisoning.
2) Boil some pieces of old ginger in about a litre and a half of water. The pieces of old ginger must be scraped off its skin and washed, and then crushed or flatten with a pestle or anything that is able to serve this purpose. The amount of ginger used is according to personal taste. If you want the soup to be 'hotter' or to have more 'zing', more can be added. Normally about 400 g will be sufficient. Young ginger can be used if only the ginger flavour is favoured and not its 'hotness' or its additional 'zing'.
3) Boil the ginger for about half an hour. When you can smell the aroma of the ginger, lower the fire a little and let it simmer. Add about 100 to 200 ml of black vinegar. Turn off the fire and keep this soup over night to let all the ginger release its full flavour into the liquid.
4) The next day, get ready the pig's trotter. The butcher at the market will normally cut it up for you into smaller pieces. They will also remove whatever hairs on the skin. What we need to do is to wash the pieces clean under running water and then boil them in a wok of hot water for about ten minutes. Whitish grey 'scum' will float on the boiling water. When this happens, turn off the fire, remove the meat from the wok and wash them clean of those 'scum'.
5) Now the pig's trotters are ready to be cooked in the ginger soup which has been reheated again.
6) Add another 100 ml of black vinegar to the pot of ginger and pig's trotter. Allow it to boil and when it is boiling, lower the fire to allow the ingredients to simmer. Take a little of the soup in a spoon to taste. If it is not sour enough, add some more black vinegar.
7) Then add some brown sugar to put some sweetness in the sour soup. The amount of sugar added depends on individual taste. When adding the brown sugar, care must be taken not to add a lot at one shot. It should be added little by little and each time, we must taste the soup till its taste suits our taste buds. If it is not sour enough, add more vinegar. So, it is by trial and error.
7) Then add some brown sugar to put some sweetness in the sour soup. The amount of sugar added depends on individual taste. When adding the brown sugar, care must be taken not to add a lot at one shot. It should be added little by little and each time, we must taste the soup till its taste suits our taste buds. If it is not sour enough, add more vinegar. So, it is by trial and error.
8) Once the meat is soft, the dish is ready to be serve. The ginger can be eaten as well. It has high fibre content.
Besides ginger, some may like to add dried chillies for additional flavour. Some like to add roasted black beans as they think they will make the soup more nutritious. Usually about 150 g is enough, otherwise the original sour sweet flavour will be changed. If roasted black beans are used, they must be added before the meat as they will take a longer time to soften. Once they are almost soft, add the meat followed by the vinegar.
Others will also add hard boiled eggs together with the meat. The shells are either removed or left intact.
The unfinished soup can be kept overnight and its flavour maintained by adding more vinegar and sugar. Vinegar should not be boiled too much as it gets boiled off.
Others will also add hard boiled eggs together with the meat. The shells are either removed or left intact.
The unfinished soup can be kept overnight and its flavour maintained by adding more vinegar and sugar. Vinegar should not be boiled too much as it gets boiled off.
It will take some degree of experience in order to cook this dish to a flavour that is most satisfying to you.
Good luck and have fun trying!
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