The stewed pig's trotters are soft and fragrant, full of gelatin, and the secret lies in the selection and use of seasonings. Blindly adding seasoning will not only fail to enhance the deliciousness of the pig's trotters, but will destroy their own deliciousness. Let's reveal the golden rule of stewed pig's trotters: 3 put 5 don't put it.
There are three seasonings that must be added when stewing pig's trotters:
Seasoning 1: cooking wine. Cooking wine plays an important role in stewed pig's trotters, which can effectively remove the fishy smell of pig's trotters and add umami. A moderate amount of cooking wine can make the taste of pig's trotters more mellow and richer. Blanching and stir-frying pig's trotters with cooking wine can fundamentally improve the quality of pig's trotters.
Seasoning 2: rock sugar. Rock sugar can make the color of the pig's trotters more red and bright, and at the same time, it can also make the taste sweeter. Rock sugar forms a sugar color during the frying process, which wraps around the surface of the pig's trotters, which not only locks in moisture, but also makes the finished product look more appealing.
Seasoning 3: soybeans. Soybeans remove some of the greasy feeling and can also incorporate their umami into the pig's trotters, making the whole dish more delicious. Soybeans can also absorb the essence of pig's trotters, and they become extremely delicious in their own right, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.
Five seasonings that should not be added when stewing pig's trotters:
Seasoning 1: Sichuan peppercorns. Sichuan peppercorns are an indispensable seasoning in many dishes, but they should be avoided when stewing pig's trotters. The taste of Sichuan pepper is heavier, which is easy to cover up the freshness of the pig's trotters and affect the overall taste.
Seasoning 2: star anise. The spicy taste of star anise will affect the taste of the pig's trotters, which is not conducive to the soft and fragrant effect we are pursuing.
Seasoning 3: cinnamon. Cinnamon will bring unwanted aroma to the pig's trotters and affect the original taste.
Seasoning 4: bay leaves. The delicate flavor of bay leaves can be the finishing touch in some dishes, but it can be overwhelming when stewed and affect the taste of the trotters themselves.
Seasoning 5: five-spice powder. Although five-spice powder can add a complex flavor to a dish, when used in stewed pork trotters, the flavor of the pig's trotters may become too strong and lose their original deliciousness.
How to make the perfect stewed pig's trotters with soybeans:
Preparation of ingredients. In addition to the main character, pig's trotters, we also need to prepare soybeans, ginger, salt, rock sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. Soybeans need to be soaked for 4-5 hours in advance, and pig's trotters need to be carefully washed and diced. If there is hair on the trotters, you can burn it slightly with a fire. Soak the trotters in lightly salted water for 2 hours, changing the water every half hour until the blood water leachs out.
Blanch to remove the fish. Put the pig's trotters in a pot of cold water, add ginger, green onions and cooking wine, bring to a boil over high heat and continue to cook for 5 minutes, which will better remove the fishy smell. After blanching, rinse with hot water, drain and set aside.
Sauté to color. Heat the pan with cold oil, fry the rock sugar over low heat until the sugar color, and set aside. Then put a little oil in the pot, stir-fry the ginger slices and green onions, and then add the blanched pig's trotters and stir-fry over low heat. At this time, you can add a little balsamic vinegar, and after the balsamic vinegar flavor has evaporated, add the fried sugar color, so that each piece of pig's trotters is evenly coated with sugar color.
Season to simmer. Add light soy sauce and dark soy sauce to taste, then add enough boiling water and add soaked soybeans and peanuts. After the heat boils, turn to low heat and simmer for 2 hours, during which the pig's trotters should be turned to prevent the bottom from being muled, and at the same time, pay attention to the soup to avoid boiling dry.
Season and collect the sauce. When the pig's trotters are stewed until soft and rotten, and the soybeans and peanuts are fully cooked, add an appropriate amount of salt to taste according to personal taste, and finally reduce the juice on high heat.
The key to stewing pork trotters is the precise control of the seasoning. Only add cooking wine, rock sugar and soybeans, the three key seasonings, and avoid using five spices that are easy to dominate, such as Sichuan pepper and star anise, in order to stew the perfect pig's trotters that are really soft and fragrant, no peculiar smell and full of gelatin. This method not only fully brings out the deliciousness of the pig's trotters themselves, but also further enhances the taste and nutritional value of the whole dish through the addition of soybeans.