Ingredients
1.5–2 lbs pork trotters, cut into pieces
2–3 stalks green onion
1 large piece ginger (use yellow ginger if available), smashed
2 bottles (about 1 liter) Chinese sweet black vinegar (Pearl River Bridge brand if possible)
2–3 tbsp brown sugar
4–6 boiled eggs, peeled
Instructions
Blanch the pork trotters
Place pork trotters in a pot of cold water with slices of ginger and green onion.
Bring to a boil, blanch for a few minutes, then remove and wash clean.
Pan-fry the trotters
Place the cleaned trotters back into a dry pan (no oil).
Stir-fry until the surface turns golden. Set aside.
Prepare the ginger
Smash the ginger pieces with the flat side of a knife.
Dry-fry in a pot (no oil) until the moisture is gone and fragrant.
Make the vinegar base
In a clay pot (or thick-bottomed pot), add the fried ginger.
Pour in two bottles of sweet black vinegar.
Add the trotters
Return the golden-fried pork trotters into the pot.
Add brown sugar and stir well.
Simmer
Cover with a lid.
Simmer over medium-low heat for about 40 minutes, until trotters are tender.
Add eggs
Add peeled hard-boiled eggs to the pot.
Continue cooking until the eggs soak up the flavor and turn dark brown.
Serve
Serve hot as a hearty, sweet-sour stew.