Pay attention, everyone! The name “pork trotters” (sometimes known as “pig’s feet”) should not scare you off.

Even though it’s hard to believe, this porky limb is, in fact, a well-known beauty secret in Asia. Many Asians have acquired the art of seeming much younger than their actual age because of this. Braised pig trotters are a favorite dish for Chinese women, which is one reason why.

Before we get to the recipe, I’d like to tell you about an extraordinary meeting I had at a dim sum restaurant with an elderly Chinese couple. All of them ordered and paid for a large bowl of braised tendon––and nothing else––and then got up and departed. Only one meal was on the menu, and they came just for it.

As a result, I promptly ordered a bowl for us. These foods are healthy for the joints and skin because they are high in collagen has been handed down orally from grandparents, parents, and now me to my daughters.

The beauty business spends millions of dollars advertising collagen as the fountain of youth in beauty creams, so that I won’t tell you that. Instead of applying collagen to your face, you can get it from an extraordinary pig, which they won’t tell you about. It’s a drug that won’t go away for Asians. Pig feet are famous in many Asian cuisines, including Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, and Korean dishes. They can be braised, boiled, or added to a soup.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 oz. of dried soybeans (115g, soaked overnight)
• 2 ½ pounds of pork trotters (1 kg)
• 2 tbsp. of oil
• 4 slices of ginger
• 4 scallions (chopped) (separate white parts from the green parts)
• 3 star anise
• 1 Chinese cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 dried hot chili peppers (optional)
• 1 piece dried tangerine peel
• 20g off rock sugar
• 2 tbsp. of dark soy sauce
• 3 tbsp. of light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. of Shaoxing wine
• 4 cups of water
• Salt (to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Prepare your pork trotters after soaking your soybeans overnight. Prepare vast slabs of meat with the help of your butcher. They should be completely submerged in a saucepan of water that has been rinsed properly. Activate the heat source and bring the water to a rolling boil. Remove the pork trotters from the pan, drain them, and rinse them thoroughly. Set them aside to dry off.
2. Oil should be heated slowly in a wok or a big Dutch oven. Salt and pepper to taste, and add the ginger, white sections of scallion, and the star anise and cinnamon. Make sure the aromatics don’t burn when infusing for a few minutes. Now, add the pig trotters and cook them on both sides.
3. Drain the soybeans. Soybeans, along with rock sugar, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and water, should be added to the mixture, along with water. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. 70-80 minutes at a low heat should be sufficient to tenderize the pig trotters. Make sure to stir frequently to avoid the food from becoming stuck. Squeeze in a little extra salt at the finish of cooking, if desired. Cooking time should not be excessive. We don’t want someone “falling off the bone” in this scenario.
4. You can always turn up the heat and cook off any remaining liquid to achieve your preferred consistency at the end of the cooking period. At the very end, add a little thickened sauce if desired. To serve, sprinkle the scallion greens over the top and enjoy!