Pork Knuckle in Sweetened Black Vinegar 猪脚醋

Pork Knuckle in Sweetened Black Vinegar 猪脚醋

This is a popular Chinese confinement food. The Chinese believe that the body is "cold" after giving birth so we need to consume a lot of "heaty" food like ginger and sesame oil after childbirth. Since it is so tasty and appetising, many people enjoy this dish even though they are not going through confinement.

The key to this dish is to use the best ingredients you can get. Ginger is traditionally known to dispel postpartum body 'wind', get rid of the 'cold' and improve blood circulation. If your body is not taken care of properly after birth, it may lead to rheumatism or inexplicable aches and pains in the future, that's why ginger is consumed a lot during confinement. I used Wentong ginger, which gong gong mentioned was the best type of ginger around.  It is apparently more pungent and gives a different flavour to the dish. The amount of ginger added in this dish depends on how spicy you want the dish to be. As for black vinegar, it is to help purify the blood and cleanse the arteries. The black vinegar in this dish helps to dissolve the calcium content in the pork bones, which results in a calcium-rich sauce.

Prep time: 15 mins 
Cook time: 2 hr 

Ingredients: 
1 whole pork knuckle (about 2.2 kg) - chopped into chunks
2-3 tbs sesame oil
800 g ginger - peeled and sliced
1 bulb garlic - peeled and crushed
4 cups sweetened black vinegar
A few hard-boiled eggs - shelled (optional)

Directions: 
*Blanch pork knuckle.
[Place pork into a pot, add enough water to cover. Bring to boil. Once water comes to a boil, remove from heat, drain and wash with cold water.]

*In a large pot, heat up sesame oil.

*Add ginger and fry until fragrant.

*Add garlic and fry until fragrant.

*Pour in all the vinegar and bring to boil then lower heat to simmer for about 30 mins.

*Add in pork knuckle, bring to boil then lower heat to simmer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hrs or until tender.

*Season to taste.