Black Sweet Vinegar Pork Trotter is such a traditional Chinese dish. In the olden days this dish is often cooked as a confinement food after giving birth. The Chinese believes that this dish would ‘get rid of wind’ and is good for ladies post natal immunity after giving birth. However it is now a very common dish enjoyed by everyone even my very British husband (the eggs for he don’t eat fats).

Do you know that pork knuckles and pork trotters contains high natural collagen, perfect to ward off wrinkles? kekekekekekeke

The main ingredients to make a tremendous yummy pot of this dish are just the pork trotters or knuckles, ginger and the black sweet and sour vinegar. My hubby is a big fan of ginger but not the pig trotters or knuckles. so he will eat the eggs and drink the broth!

On the other hand the pig’s trotters are so tender, moist and wonderfully succulent after simmering slowly for hours that they are my favourite. Especially after I took the trouble of dry frying the skin till they blister. In the UK, I am using normal bottle of dark sour vinegar and dark sweet vinegar mix. I found it too sweet for my taste otherwise and I have to add more sour vinegar. I just love the pungent sweet and sour black vinegar taste but I prefer more sour and I added dried chillies to make it a bit more spicy.

I have actually kept back a huge piece of ginger to age it and I bought some young new ginger too.

Each and every family will have their own way of cooking this dish and their heirloom recipe. My mother always clean, blanch, drain and dry fry the trotters first and I followed suit. I find frying till the skin blistered gives that extra taste I love. However I am missing the black beans which I can’t find here.