Vietnamese dishesVietnamese SausagesNorthern Vietnam1 hour 45 minutes of cooking, plus 5 to 6 hours for the roll to set in the fridge
Gio xao, also called gio thu, turns up in many homes at Tet for its snappy texture and the perfume of white peppercorns. The hard part is packing the mold, since a loose pack falls apart under the knife.
Ear and snout go straight from the pot into iced water with lime juice, which is what makes them pale pink and crunchy. The filling has to be packed while still hot so the fat and gelatin set into one firm block. White peppercorns toasted and coarsely crushed smell far better than ready ground pepper.
This batch weighs about 3.2kg, at roughly 232 calories per 100g.
Method
Rub the pig ear, snout, tongue and hock meat with coarse salt and wash them thoroughly, scrubbing right into the folds of the ear and the nostrils. Peel and slice the shallots, wash the ginger, slice it and mince part of it, and soak the wood ear until it opens, then cut it into strips about 1cm wide.
Bring a pot of water to the boil with 1 to 2 tablespoons coarse salt and a few slices of ginger, and blanch the ear, snout and tongue for 3 to 4 minutes. Leave the hock meat unblanched so it keeps the stickiness that binds the roll.
Boil the ear and snout in plenty of water with the ginger and shallot for 8 to 10 minutes, then drop them straight into a bowl of iced water with lime juice for a pale pink, crunchy finish, rinse them and drain.
Cut the ear into strips about 0.5cm wide, and cut the snout, tongue and hock meat into pieces 0.3 to 0.5cm thick and slightly long so they look good in the roll.
Toast 10g white peppercorns and crush them coarsely, crush 5 to 6 shallots as well, and add both to the bowl of meat. Season with 2.5 tablespoons fish sauce, 2 tablespoons seasoning powder, 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1/2 tablespoon MSG, 1/2 tablespoon coarse salt, 1/2 tablespoon ground pepper and 1 tablespoon cooking oil. Mix well and leave it for about 1 hour.
Put 1/2 small bowl of cooking oil in a pot, fry the sliced shallot with a little minced ginger until light gold, then add the meat and stir fry over medium heat for 13 to 15 minutes, keeping it moving. Add the wood ear, stir fry for another 5 minutes and turn off the heat.
Line the stainless steel mold with banana leaf, add the hot filling and press it down hard with a pestle. When the filling sits about 3cm below the rim, fold the leaf over, lay a round piece of leaf on top and tighten the screws on the mold.
Let the roll cool completely in the open air, then chill it for 5 to 6 hours until firm, unmold it and cut it into slices.
Tips
Iced water with lime juice straight after boiling is what gives the ear and snout their pale pink color and snap.
Packing the mold while the filling is still hot is what binds the roll into one block.
Leave the hock meat unblanched, since that sticky quality holds the roll firm.
Toasted and coarsely ground white peppercorns smell far better than ready ground pepper.
Letting the roll cool in the open air before it goes into the fridge keeps condensation off the surface.
Stir fry until the ear pieces turn sticky and cling to the chopsticks, since a dry mixture leaves the roll loose.
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The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.