Black Vinegar Trotter AKA 猪脚醋

This recipe is passed to me by my Mommy who cooked this for my confinement. Black Vinegar Trotter is believed to be one of the recipes that helps to expel wind from the body effectively. This is very important for Mommies who had just given birth. The old folks believe that if the new Mommy is not being nurtured back to the pink of health during her confinement, she will suffer from many illnesses as she ages.

Anyway, the elderly in both my husband's and my family love Black Vinegar Trotter. Therefore I decided to give this recipe a try for the first time. It was only then did I realize that preparing this dish can be so time consuming and back-breaking. I must have spent at least 2 hours in the kitchen, cleaning the trotter, removing the hairs and cooking the dish.

But overall, I guess it's worth the hassle. The elders are happy. Other than enjoying the dish itself, they commented that eating the Black Vinegar Trotter aids in the relief of their rheumatism. And most of all, my Dad complimented me! He said the taste of the Black Vinegar Trotter that I cooked is very similar to Mommy's. "有妈妈的味道。好吃。" *beaming*

I shall pass on this recipe to my daughter when she grows up. Hope she loves cooking too. ^^

Ingredients
1kg of pork trotter
A bottle of black vinegar (750ml)
500g of old ginger (skinned and cut into large chunks)
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of sesame oil

Preparation
Boil a pot of water and add in the trotter.
Remove from heat when it is cooked.
Clean the trotter thoroughly under running tap water and pluck out the hairs.
Set aside and drain.
Pour the bottle of vinegar into a large pot.
Fill up the empty bottle with tap water and add into the pot with vinegar.
Add in brown sugar and leave to boil.
Squash the ginger and pan fry till fragrant.
Add in sesame oil to enhance the fragrance.
When the ginger starts to brown, pour everything into the pot of vinegar.
Toss in the cleaned trotter into the boiling vinegar 10-15 minutes later.
Cook for another 30 minutes before turning the heat off.
Reheat before serving.

*If you intend to keep and consume the Black Vinegar Trotter for a week or more, separate the pork from the vinegar as the vinegar will dissolve the meat over a period of time if kept together.*