Pork shank slow-cooked with hairy gourd

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.

• 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