Handled Pork Knuckle
The knuckle meat is tender but not greasy, the skin is gelatinous, rich and fragrant. Served with scallion segments and sweet bean paste, it has a distinctive flavor. Because the hoof resembles a handle, it got its name. It is a famous dish from Dali County, Shaanxi Province. It is highly nutritious, but difficult to make.
Ingredients and Tools
- Front pork knuckle with hoof and claw
- Red fermented tofu
- Sweet bean paste
- Salt
- Red soy sauce
- White soy sauce
- Cooking wine
- Garlic slices
- Minced ginger
- Star anise
- Cinnamon
- Scallion Tools
- Small hatchet (for breaking the bone)
- Sterilized gauze (large enough to cover the knuckle)
Measurements
- Front pork knuckle with hoof and claw: one (about 2 jin 5 liang = 1250 g)
- Red fermented tofu: 1 piece = 10 g
- Sweet bean paste: 150 g
- Salt: 15 g
- Red soy sauce: 35 g
- White soy sauce: 25 g
- Cooking wine: 25 g
- Garlic slices: 50 g
- Minced ginger: 10 g
- Star anise: 3 pieces
- Cinnamon: 5 g
- Scallion: 200 g
Steps
- Scrape and wash the knuckle clean. Place it on the cutting board with the knuckle end facing out, the handle (hoof and claw) facing in, and the skin side down.
- Use a knife to split the skin down the middle from the knuckle end toward the handle along the leg bone. Remove the meat from both sides of the leg bone (three sides separated), leaving the bottom where bone and meat are connected so the bone is exposed, then use the back of the knife (or better, a hatchet) to break the two leg bones at the middle.
- Put the knuckle into a pot and boil until about 70% cooked (normal appearance, pale red inside). Remove, pat dry with a clean cloth, and while hot, brush the skin with red soy sauce.
- Take a steamer and place star anise and cinnamon on the bottom. First, use your hand to break the joint at the handle without damaging the skin, then put the knuckle in with the skin side down. Arrange it according to its shape, tucking the handle against the side of the pot to form a round shape.
- Sprinkle in salt. Cover the meat with clean sterilized gauze, then spread sweet bean paste (50 g), scallion (75 g), red fermented tofu, red soy sauce, white soy sauce, ginger, garlic, etc. over the gauze. Steam over high heat for about 3 hours (until tender).
- After steaming, remove, lift off the gauze, invert onto a plate, and pick out the star anise. Serve with scallion segments and a small dish of sweet bean paste (or spread sweet bean paste on the knuckle surface and serve scallion segments in a small dish).
Notes
- Determining 70% cooked for the knuckle depends on the situation; if possible, ask an elder in the family.
- Put water in the lower part of the steamer and the knuckle in the upper part; add water in time during steaming to prevent it from drying out. If you follow this guide and find issues or improvements, please submit an Issue or Pull request.