Beer-Braised Pig’s Trotters

Flavor: Savory; Cooking Method: Braising; Cooking Time: One hour; Difficulty: Moderate.

Detailed Steps for Cooking Beer-Braised Pig’s Trotters

Prepare the ingredients (ask the butcher to chop the pig’s trotters into small pieces)

Blanch the pig’s trotters in cold water, add cooking wine, bring to a boil, skim off any foam, then boil for three to five minutes and remove.

Wrap the star anise, bay leaves, fennel seeds, and other small spices in cheesecloth.

Drain the trotters and pat dry.

Heat oil in a wok, add the dried trotters, green onions, ginger, dried chili peppers, rock sugar, and other seasonings.

Sauté until the rock sugar melts, the green onions and ginger release their fragrance, the trotters slightly brown, then add cooking wine to remove any gaminess and dark soy sauce for color.

Add more dark soy sauce and stir-fry over low heat until the trotters are browned, then add enough beer to cover the trotters. (If there’s not enough beer, add some hot water.)

Bring to a boil, then transfer to a clay pot or stew pot, add the spice bundle.

Simmer over low heat for about 1.5 hours.

Once the trotters are tender, add salt, remove the green onions, ginger, and other seasonings, then increase the heat to thicken the sauce.

Continue cooking until the sauce thickens, then remove from heat.