Braised Pork Shoulder 紅燒蹄䠙

Braised pork is the serious dish that I only see on the celebration party. It was often standing on top of fish fin sticky soup which called " Braised Pork with Fish Fin" . I have been live in America 20 years, has no idea since when this braised pork is becoming a New Years dish on the dinning table. I am very curious what else has been changed if I compared the dishes when I was a kid. But, it's not too difficult to understand how this braised pork shoulder becomes a New Year dish. Taiwanese are very enthusiasms. They are passionate about food, love to treat their friends and family well. The leftover are perfect when the shop will closed after the Chinese New Year. Plus, this braised pork dish will be totally catching your eyes attention when it comes to table. It is just whoever in charge of cooking has to be getting busy.

Many years ago, I challenged myself to make the 12 New Years dishes like my grandma. I planed the menu for a week, prepared and cooked for three days. After I had done that party, I finally realized all the Taiwanese grandma and moms are so amazing that they were all have been pretty well trained with the culinary skills. But, I was cured soon. Never do that again !

These couple years, my kids are all young teens now. They are kind of interesting in Chinese New Year. I guess it will be a nice chance to introduce them some of Taiwanese culture, and I hope they could feel more closer and understand Taiwan more with this yummy food.

Kung-Fu dishes are perfect for the new year, because it has including the great time effort and all the challenges from any cooking techniques. The great advance is that you can finished the cooking earlier or have it half way done, easy menage the timing so you could control when the dinner will be served. This braised pork shoulder is perfect for the new daughter in law or mom. You just need to know how to boil the hot water and turn the heat low, then you would be able to make this wow dish. Please follow me !!!

1. 1 pork shoulder with bone in.

2. 8 ginger thin slices. 3 slices for broiling, 5 slices for braised.

3. 1 scallion.

4. 2 large onions or 3 small one. It doesn't matter white or red onion.

5. 1 celery halved.

Spices wrap

1. 2 start anise.

2. 1 cinnamon stick.

3. 1 tablespoons of Fennel seeds.

4. 2 bay leaves.

Place all the spices in a disposable bag or cheese cloth and tights it, including the 5 pieces of ginger slices.

* You can use your favorite spices wrap from Chinese supermarket.

Seasoning

1. 1 cup of soy sauce.

2. 1 cup of dry wine wine.

3. 1/4 cup of brown sugar.

4. 1/4 cup of light corn syrup.

5. 1/2 cup of catchup.

6. 1 chili.

7. Tapioca flour.

8. 1 tablespoons of dark soy sauce for deeper color. If you like.

Place pork shoulder, scallions, ginger slices in the pot, add in the wine and 1 teaspoon of salt, then pour in the water to cover the pork shoulder. Use high heat bring it to the broiled. When it reached the broiling point, turn heat to medium low, just cook this pork shoulder turns white, and make sure no blood to show. Carefully take out the pork, rinsed and clean it if it is dirty, or if it is clean then just let it cool down it will be just fine.

*The reason I use cold water is because I could avoid the pork shoulder will not change the shape out of the bone too much, especially I could keep the pork skin remain beautifully with meat by itself. And the scallions, ginger and wine will like aromatic soap wash away that unnecessary pork smell. Few salt will help the pork sweat some oil out, so it will take the sauce and get color better later.

Leave the celeries on the bottom of the pot, place the pork shoulder in. This way will prevent the heavy pork shoulder to get burn on one side. Then, add in the soy sauce, wine, catch-up, brown sugar, and light corn syrup. Pour in the water just enough to cover the pork shoulder. Throw in the onions and spices wrap.

Bring it to the broiled, scoop out the residue, then change to low heat. Keep small bubbling in the pot during the cooking process. If you pot is not tall enough to have sauce to cover this big piece of meat, you could turn it every 30 minutes to make sure it will braised evenly. But fillip too much will mess up the skin easily, so don't !!!

*Sauce before braised are not united. Onions and pork shoulder need period of time to release the flavor to be combined. Therefore, you could adjust the saltiness and sweetness during the braised process.

Cook it till you can use one chopstick go through easily. This pork shoulder was 5 pound 4oz. I cooked about 2 hours and 30 minutes. All the American pig master knows " Slow on the time, and low on the heat are the best way to cook a big piece of meat." I just switch the roasted technique to braised, that all !!! This preparation only takes you 20 minutes. The rest of braising time, you could watch a long movie or get some other preparation done.

When you are ready to serve, simply heat it up, arrange the plate with blanched broccoli rabe, and open a jar of the white beans (rinsed), and artichoke from the cans.

Discard all the ingredients in the pot but not the pork shoulder of course. Carefully lift the pork shoulder on top of vegetable plate. Use tapioca flour with same amount of water mix well, slowly add in the sauce with high heat, and make it thicker and shiny. Drizzle the hot glossy fragrant sauce on top of braised pork shoulder. I think it is very sexy and my mouth had already watering.

Carving it against the born, serve it with great texture of skins together. That little fat was like butter melts in my mouth, lean meat was so clean, sweet, juicy and tender. Accompanied with lightly bitterly broccoli rabe and acilty artichoke was like Taiwanese sour bamboo shoots bright up the sweet savor pork. Plus that creamy white beans gave the extra texture, I was just having a party in my mouth. I asked my little critics how many stars for these dish. They gave me 10, then I heart was dancing. I hoped this Braised pork shoulder will help you to win lots of applauses, and make you proud, bring your family more together.

My dear friend,

Have a blessing year of the golden chicken !!!

小時候滷蹄䠙是在喜宴上才能看見的而且還會佇立在魚翅焿中間, 就叫封肉魚翅. 來美二十年了, 曾幾何時這道滷蹄䠙成了過年菜肴我卻一點也不知情. 更是好奇現在的年菜和我小時候的以前有什麼不同. 但也不難理解為什麼這道滷蹄䠙能成為年菜. 過年嘛, 臺灣人非常的熱情, 喜歡備著有著豐富的食物款待親友. 剩餘的佳餚剛好渡過市場的休業, 而且這道菜上桌時實在是太吸晴了, 只是家中掌廚的人就得開始忙碌起來才行.

若干年前我曾有一次挑戰十二道年菜像我奶奶一樣. 一星期計劃買菜, 三日開始進行烹調. 那年宴客後, 我才發現台灣的婆婆媽媽真是令人佩服, 個個練了一身好功夫. 不過, 經過了那年之後我就免疫了. 近兩年孩子們都到青少年的年紀了, 開始留意到了過新年這件事. 就趁著他們有興趣來點機會敎育和臺灣文化的陶冶吧！希望能介著這份美食讓我的孩子們能夠更了解台灣.

功夫菜最適合做年菜, 因為它結合了時間挑戰與技術考驗. 優點是它可以提前做好或半成品的菜色, 都非常適用於宴客, 以及利於上菜時間的掌握. 我的這道滷蹄䠙最適合初嫁媳婦, 新手媽媽取得滿桌喝采了. 你只要懂得如何燒開水, 改小火就可以做出這道大菜, 快跟著我來了解一下吧！

材料:

1. 帶骨豬腳肉一隻. 這隻有5磅4盎司.

2. 8片薑. 三片拿來走冷水, 另外5片拿來滷.

3. 1 株蔥.

4. 2 顆大洋葱或3顆小洋裝切去皮切半. 什麼洋蔥都可以!

5. 1 株西洋芹折半.

香料:

1. 2顆八角.

2. 1 枝肉桂支.

3. 1大匙茴香種子.

4. 2 片肉桂葉.

將所有香料放入滷包, 包括5片薑.

*你也可以用自己喜歡在超市買的滷包.

調味料:

1. 1杯醬油.

2. 1杯乾白酒或米酒.

3. 1/4杯的紅砂糖.

4. 1/4杯的透明麥芽糖.

5. 1/2杯的蕃茄醬.

6. 1條紅辣椒.

7. 太白粉.

8. 1 大匙的老抽醬油, 如果你喜歡顔色深一點.

放蹄䠙, 䓤, 3塊薑片入鍋, 加入酒和1小匙的塩, 然後注入水盡量能蓋過蹄䠙. 開大火煮滾後馬上改中小火. 等肉色變白沒有血水後, 小心取出凊. 若是肉髒則用冷水洗淨. 要是乾淨的話一旁放涼即可.

*我把蹄䠙走冷水的原因是, 肉和骨頭的形況才不會走位太多, 特別是皮和肉也可以漂亮的能保持在一起. 還有那葱薑酒像是含香味的肥皂洗去了多餘的豬肉味. 少許的塩巴可以讓豬肉釋放出點油脂, 待會兒再滷的時候更容易上醬色.

置入芹菜在鍋子底部, 再壓上蹄䠙. 這樣可以避免很重的蹄䠙有直接燒焦的一面. 然後加入醬油, 酒, 番茄醬, 紅砂糖, 透明麥牙糖. 注入水足夠蓋住蹄䠙本身. 丟入洋蔥, 滷包.

煮沸, 舀去浮出的髒物, 改小火. 試味道做調整, 鍋內維持小泡泡的燉煮狀況. 如果你的鍋子太小不能浸泡整個蹄䠙. 你可以每30分鐘翻轉一次, 確認每面都能勻均滷上色. 但也別過度翻動而破壞了皮和肉的形狀.

*未滷前的滷汁味道仍是分離的. 洋蔥的甜味和蹄䠙的油脂經過長時間燉煮,才會釋放出來和其他的香料結合, 所以鹹味和甜味可以在過程中稍做調整.

煮到肉可以用一枝筷子輕易的擦入即可. 我的這塊肉有5磅4盎司, 約二個半小時. 所有美國的烤豬肉專家都知道, 做大塊肉的技巧就是保持低溫長時間慢慢烹調. 而我只不過把炙烤改成燉煮而已. 這凖備過程只有20分鐘而已, 剩下滷的時間你的看個長片或是完成其他菜色的準備工作.

當你要上菜前只要加熱, 擺上川燙後的球花甘藍, 開罐白豆沖洗乾淨, 和即食的罐裝洋薊.

取出丟棄鍋中所有的食材, 除了蹄䠙之外. 小心的提出的蹄䠙放上已擺好蔬菜擺盤. 用同樣比例的太白粉和水混合均勻, 勾薄薄的發亮的芡, 淋上這香氣十足又光滑的滷汁上蹄䠙. 我覺得這已經太性感了而且還猛吞口水.

貼著大骨整片切下, 和咬感及佳的皮一起食用. 那一點點的油脂像奶油溶化在嘴裏, 瘦肉清爽.甜美, 多汁又軟嫩. 伴隨的球花甘藍淡淡的甘苦味和那帶著酸氣的洋薊像極了臺灣的酸荀, 點亮了鹹甜的滷肉. 還有那綿密的白豆更是多了一份口感的層次. 我的嘴巴裏正舉行著派對呢. 我問家裡的小饕客能給幾顆星, 他們說十顆星. 我的心情也開始舞蹈了起來. 希望這道滷蹄䠙能讓你獲得許多.掌聲並且感到驕傲, 而且能讓你的家人靠近彼此.

親愛的的朋友們,

祝福你們有的美好的金雞年!!!