FOODlog #89: Pork Trotter Stew

Last week my mother cooked one of her signature dishes for lunch - pork trotter stew.

It's a dish that originates from North West of Malaysia. We only eat this a few times a year which is a real treat when we do have it. I guess that's also good not eating it frequently as it wouldn't be good for the health doing so. Sometimes too much of a good thing is bad thing especially when it comes to overeating anything XD

Anyway, here's how it's made. First the pork trotters a blanched in boiling water for about 5-10 minutes to remove all the scum and blood which will affect the taste of the stew. It is then drained and washed with cold water and put into a clean pot.

Next add in soy sauce, oyster sauce, and dark soy sauce, along with dried shiitaki mushrooms which have been rehydrated with hot water earlier and add in the water as well. Add in water to cover half of the quantity of the pork trotters and then bring it up to a boil. Once it starts boiling, lower the heat to simmer for 1-2 hours.

She also makes a 'sambal' as well as white rice to eat with this pork trotter stew. The 'sambal' is made with fresh red chilies that have pounded and mixed with dried fermented shrimp paste and also juice from a calamansi which will give it a nice zing and acidity. This 'sambal' is so appetizing and pairs perfectly with the pork trotters and rice.

We also had another vegetable dish which is 'kangkung' also known as water spinach, cooked with onions and seasoned simply with salt. Super simple but super delicious as well, making this meal a more balanced one.