Trotter in Fermented Tofu Paste 【南乳元蹄】

There are only so many trotter dishes in Chinese, mostly called for simmering in sweet soy sauce for a long period of time until the trotter becomes completely soft and tender.

This particular recipe uses fermented tofu instead, it gives a very distinctive fragrance and taste. 

I made this dish for our Christmas party the other day, when served with the steamed buns brought by a friend, it was irresistible and everybody loves it!

元蹄的做法一般就是冰糖或红烧为主，换个做法做这道南乳元蹄。咸香好吃，聚会的时候就着朋友带来的金丝馒头，异常受欢迎呢！

Ingredients：
2.5-3 lbs Pig's Trotter
3-4 pieces of fermented tofu (Nam Yu) （plus 2 tbsp of the sauce in bottle）
2-3 star anise
3 cm of cinnamon stick
5-6 slices of ginger root
4-5 cloves of garlic  （slice thickly）

Seasoning：
1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
2 tsp Brown/rock Sugar
Salt to taste

材料：
2.5-3 磅/1500克 元蹄一只
3-4 块 南乳 （加上 2 tbsp 的南乳汁）
2-3 只 八角/大料
1 段 桂皮
5-6 片姜片
4-5 头蒜 （切片）

调料：
1 大勺 蚝油
1 大勺 酱油
2 小勺 红糖
适量 食盐

1. Clean and blanch trotter in boiling water briefly, drain, wash and set aside.

2. Add 1 tbsp of oil in a cooking pot, add star anise, sliced ginger, garlic and cinnamon stick and stir fry until fragrant. Add fermented tofu (Nam Yu) and about 1 tbsp of its sauce, mash the fermented tofu with spatula.

3. Pour in 4-5 cups of water and bring to boil, add all the seasoning/sauces and turn the heat to medium low, simmer the trotter for 2-3 hours or until cooked.

4. Take the trotter out and with the help of a sharp long knife, remove bone and place it on a deep serving dish. 

5. Pour gravy through a sieve to remove whole spices, thickened the gravy, add some corn starch as thickening agent if preferred. Pour the gravy over on trotter before serving.

1. 把元蹄清理干净，汆烫洗净备用。

2. 锅里下1大匙油把八角，姜片，蒜片，和桂皮炒香后加入南乳和1大勺南乳汁。把南乳用铲子压烂，加入4-5 杯水，和所有调味料。

3. 加入元蹄，大火煮滚后转中小火炖2-3个小时至软糯即可。

4. 取出元蹄，用一把尖刀剔出骨头. 把香料捞出，收浓汤汁，如果喜欢的话可以用芡粉打薄芡。把汤汁淋到元蹄上，就可以了。也可以烫一些蔬菜装饰。

欢迎到我的新浪博客玩--
南乳元蹄