Lao Ma Ti Hua (Mom's Braised Pork Trotters)
Pork trotters slow-cooked until falling apart in a milky white broth with white kidney beans, served with a fragrant spicy dipping sauce.
Ingredients
16 items- Pork trotters (front trotters) 2 (about 2.2 lbs/1 kg)
- Dried white kidney beans 5 oz (150 g)
- Ginger 1 piece (1 oz/30 g)
- Scallions 1 stalk
- Cooking wine 2 tbsp
- Sichuan peppercorns 1 tsp
- Salt to taste
- White pepper ½ tsp
- Dipping sauce: Garlic 2 cloves
- Dipping sauce: Scallion 1 stalk
- Dipping sauce: Light soy sauce 2 tbsp
- Dipping sauce: Black vinegar 1 tbsp
- Dipping sauce: Chili oil 1 tbsp
- Dipping sauce: Ground Sichuan pepper ½ tsp
- Dipping sauce: Sesame oil 1 tsp
- Dipping sauce: Sugar ¼ tsp
Nutrition
Steps （8 steps）
Place trotters in a pot with cold water, add ginger, scallions and cooking wine. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming foam; boil 5 minutes until foam turns white. Rinse with warm water.
Soak white kidney beans in cold water for at least 4 hours until fully expanded. Drain and set aside.
Bring about 2 liters water to a boil in a clay pot. Add blanched trotters, ginger, scallions and Sichuan peppercorns. Return to boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 1.5 hours.
Add soaked beans and continue simmering, covered, for 1 hour, until trotters are tender enough to be pierced easily with chopsticks and beans are soft.
Increase heat to high and boil uncovered for 10 minutes, until soup turns milky white and small oil droplets appear on the surface.
Season with salt and white pepper, stir well, then turn off heat. Skim off excess oil if desired.
In a small bowl, mix minced garlic, chopped scallion, soy sauce, black vinegar, chili oil, ground Sichuan pepper, sesame oil and a pinch of sugar. Stir to combine.
Ladle trotters and beans into deep bowls, pour hot soup over, garnish with scallion or cilantro. Serve dipping sauce on the side.
Tips
Use front trotters for more meat; blanch in cold water to remove gamey flavor; keep water sufficient and simmer on low; final high‐heat boil is key for milky soup; adjust dipping sauce to taste; a touch of sugar balances the heat.
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