Gia cay mien tay parts ways with the northern version by using chao and coconut water. The trotter turns tender, the sauce glossy, and the whole pot smells of chao. The tricky part is the singeing, since a light pass leaves the skin smelling raw.
The trotter is singed over straw or with a torch until the skin goes golden and darkens to deep brown, then all the ash is scraped away. The coconut water comes up only level with the meat before the pot simmers over a gentle medium heat.
This batch weighs about 1.8kg, at roughly 157 calories per 100g.
Method
Scrape the 1kg pork trotter clean, singe it over straw or with a torch until the skin turns golden and darkens to deep brown, scrape off all the ash, rinse it well, then chop it into bite sized pieces.
Mince 4 shallots, 4 garlic cloves, 2 chilies and 2 lemongrass stalks. Mash 80g tuong hot smooth and mash 2 tablespoons chao smooth.
Marinate the trotter with the tuong hot, chao, 1 tablespoon sate chili oil, 1/2 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1/2 tablespoon annatto oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder and half the minced shallot, garlic, lemongrass and chili, mix well and leave for 30 minutes.
Fry the remaining shallot, garlic and lemongrass until fragrant, then add the trotter and toss until firm.
Pour in coconut water from 1 fresh coconut so it comes level with the meat, simmer over a gentle medium heat, then taste and adjust.
Once the trotter is as tender as you like and the sauce is glossy, turn off the heat, scatter over roasted peanuts, and eat hot with bread, rice vermicelli or rice.
Tips
Front trotters carry more muscle and tendon, so the meat is firmer and better here.
This one has to be eaten hot to keep the full rich scent of the chao.
A thorough singe followed by scraping off every trace of ash is what clears the smell from the skin.
Lifting the lid at the end reduces the liquid so the sauce clings to the meat.
Mash the chao and the tuong hot smooth before marinating, because whole beans leave the salt concentrated in a few pieces.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.