For
instance, it seems that Pork Shank Slow-Cooked with Hairy Gourd is a simple
dish, but it has to be done with a lot of processes: deboning, marinating,
wrapping, frying and slow cooking. The taste-enhancing ingredients are the
pieces of sliced carrots and hairy gourd that are produced through a blanch-and-chill
process. The diners are so fascinated with the attractive colors of the dish
when pork wrap is cut, with the steam rising and with the aromatic spices, that
they cannot resist the temptation of biting into it.
INGREDIENTS
•
500g pork shank
•
1liter broth
•
400g hairy gourd
•
200g carrots
•
100g shallots
•
10g green onions
•
5g cilantro
•
110ml cooking oil
•
2g ground black pepper
•
10ml fish sauce
•
7g sugar
•
1g salt
•
3g seasoning powder
•
1 reel of thread
PROCESS
Preparation: Debone the pork shank, defat it,
and then divide it into four portions. Peel the hairy gourd then cut into four
pieces lengthwise. Remove the core and the seeds then cut them into 5cm
bite-size pieces. Slice the carrot into just four slices. Finely chop the
remaining carrots. Poach the green onions; finely chop the cilantro. Peel the
shallots.
Marinate the pork: Marinate the pork in a mixture of
10ml fish sauce, 5g sugar, 1g ground pepper, 2g seasoning powder then toss to
mix well. Use thread to wrap around each pork portion to make a roll.
Cooking
Process: Heat the wok, and then pour 100ml cooking oil in. When the oil is
heated, slide each roll into the wok one at a time and cook until golden. Continue
to add 100g shallots and cook, stirring, until light golden brown. After that,
add the pork rolls and fried shallots into the wok. Pour 1 liter of broth into the
wok, skim off foam from the top, reduce heat, and cook for sixty more minutes.
Add the pieces of hairy gourd, cook until tender, season to taste with 2g
sugar, 1g seasoning powder. In a separate pot of boiling water, blanch the
sliced hairy gourd and carrot, then immediately drain and plunge them in cold
water.
PRESENTATION
•
When the pork is well-cooked, remove it from the wok and remove the threads.
Use a piece of sliced carrot to wrap up the pork roll, and then continue to
wrap it up with a piece of sliced hairy gourd and tie it with a green leaf.
•
Place the pork roll in a bowl and pour the broth on top of it. Then finish with
a sprinkling of cilantro and ground pepper. Serve with the pieces of hairy
gourd dipped into fish sauce with slices of red pepper.
•
Serve hot with cooked rice.
TIPS
•
Pat the skin of pork dry using paper towels when frying it so that the oil
doesn’t explode.
•
Mature hairy gourd should be used so that the broth has a sweet and elegant
taste but
not
sour.
•
This dish can be served with hot rice.
EFFECTS OF THIS DISH
This
dish helps tonify blood and Qi, reduce the body heat, reduce thirst, cure
arthritis, increase urine output, treat edema, provide a lot of valuable
proteins, minerals and vitamins, strengthen the body resistance, enhance the
immune system, fight bacterial infection, boost the detoxification, protect
hair and skin. It is also good for those who have debility (physical weakness),
lose appetite, have edema; it is beneficial for the elderly with weakness,
weakened immune system, skin inflammation and impaired eyesight; it helps
prevent atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure and
diabetes.
Author: DUONG DUC
HUAN
Hotel
Majestic Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)
Champion
of the Southern regional semifinal round of the Golden Spoon Awards 2013