Chapter 261: Chapter 178: An Extremely Labor-Intensive Dish to Impress - Crystal Sugar Pork Knuckle! [Seeking Monthly Ticket]_3
But this method is much simpler.
When it bubbles, just add the ingredients and stir-fry. That’s all there is to it.
After the fragrance of the scallion and Sichuan peppercorns filled the air, Xie Baomin poured the boiling water from a nearby kettle into the pot. The water immediately turned an enticing red.
"The color of this soup is really beautiful!" Song Dahai couldn’t help but exclaim.
Although Xie Baomin’s words and actions could be infuriating, his cooking skills were undeniably top-notch. The Fishing Platform wouldn’t have indulged him otherwise. Actually, when you think about it, his master, Chef Gao, was also that kind of person. It was a trait passed down from master to apprentice, it seemed.
After pouring the boiling water, Xie Baomin stirred the pot with a spoon and said to Lin Xu, "You can’t add soy sauce to Crystal Sugar Pork Knuckle, not Light Soy Sauce nor Dark Soy Sauce. It must be stewed with caramelized sugar to get that good color on the pork knuckle."
No Soy Sauce?
Lin Xu curiously asked, "Then what about seasoning?"
"For seasoning, we only use salt and crystal sugar, nothing else."
Lin Xu felt this was the complete opposite of the sweet and sour pork ribs from Wuxi, which used only Soy Sauce and sugar, but no salt.
While they were talking, Xie Baomin added some salt to the pot and a few pieces of crystal sugar to enhance the flavor. Crystal Sugar Pork Knuckle needs to be sweet and delicious, with a hint of saltiness in the aftertaste. So, you don’t add too much salt—just enough to give the braising liquid a savory flavor.
Once the braising liquid was seasoned, they poured it into the kitchen’s extra-large pressure cooker.
Then, he cut the reserved sugarcane into small sections and split each section into four pieces with a cleaver. Once done, he added them all to the pressure cooker.
Seeing the leftover sugarcane, Song Dahai asked, "Not using the rest?"
"Right, we don’t need it," Baomin replied.
"Then why the hell did you grab two stalks?"
"I was afraid you’d chase me down for a fight. I couldn’t very well fight you empty-handed, could I?"
Song Dahai burst out laughing.
That rascal had really thought of everything.
After joking with Song Dahai, Xie Baomin said, "I’ve been researching Cantonese sweet soups lately. I’ll use the leftover sugarcane to try making some later. I recall a sweet soup that uses this type of green sugarcane; it has a very refreshing, sweet taste."
Meanwhile, the pork knuckles that had been simmering since morning were almost done.
He scooped them out with a slotted spoon, carefully placing them into the pressure cooker before closing the lid. The Crystal Sugar Pork Knuckle formally entered the stewing phase.
"It needs to stew for at least an hour for the pork knuckle to become perfectly tender. Everyone, go on with your tasks. The most exciting part won’t be ready for another hour."
With that said, Xie Baomin led Song Dahai off to have some tea. After all, he had ’borrowed’ Song Dahai’s sugarcane, so treating him to a cup of tea was only right. Besides, the tea leaves were from Building 10 and didn’t cost him anything.
Looking at the remaining half bowl of crystal sugar, Lin Xu turned to Xie Baomin and asked, "Senior Brother, this crystal sugar..."
"That’s for thickening the sauce later. Crystal Sugar Pork Knuckle requires the skin to be tender and the meat succulent, with the braising liquid like a gel. That ’gel’ refers to the sauce made by reducing it with more crystal sugar at the end."
This was completely different from the Crystal Sugar Pork Knuckle he was familiar with. Of course, there were many ways to make Crystal Sugar Pork Knuckle among home cooks. Pretty much any recipe that involved crystal sugar and pork knuckles could be called by that name. But the authentic way to make this dish must be like his senior brother’s. The seasoning was incredibly restrained. After the pork knuckle was stewed until flavorful, it would be coated in a thick, sugary glaze. Just the thought of it was mouthwatering.
「An hour later.」
Xie Baomin and Song Dahai returned to the kitchen.
Xie Baomin took the pressure cooker off the stove and released the steam. Then, he opened the lid.
A rich aroma immediately wafted from the pot, mingled with delicate threads of fresh, clean sweetness.
This was clearly the scent produced by the stewed green sugarcane.
Using a slotted spoon, Xie Baomin carefully lifted the pork knuckle out of the pot and set it aside. The pork knuckle’s skin was now a ruddy red and perfectly intact. It trembled in the slotted spoon, evidently stewed until incredibly tender.
Xie Baomin poured the braising liquid into a wok. First, he used a slotted spoon to remove all the scallions, ginger, other aromatics, and green sugarcane pieces from the liquid. Then, using a ladle, he skimmed the fat from the surface of the braising liquid.
"The finishing sauce can’t have any oil, or it will affect the final color. You must skim all the oil off cleanly. That way, the pork knuckle will have a better, brilliant shine."
After removing the solids, he heated the braising liquid, then added all the remaining crystal sugar to the wok. He stirred continuously with a spoon to hasten the sugar’s melting.
Once the crystal sugar had completely dissolved, Xie Baomin held the pork knuckle in the slotted spoon with his left hand and placed it back into the wok. With his right hand, he continuously ladled the hot liquid from the wok over the knuckle.
Song Dahai said to Lin Xu, "This step is to rinse off any surface oil or residue from the knuckle and also to keep it hot."
After this basting, the pork knuckle’s color looked even more ruddy and lustrous.
Xie Baomin set the pork knuckle aside again. He then picked up a fine-mesh sieve and strained the braising liquid once more before continuing to stir it in the wok.
As he stirred, the rich, red braising liquid gradually thickened.
"You see, this is the advantage of using caramelized sugar. If you used Dark Soy Sauce for color, the braising liquid in the wok would have turned into black sludge by now."
No matter how long caramelized sugar is cooked, its color will always remain a vibrant, glossy red.
After about four or five minutes, Xie Baomin brought the pork knuckle over and basted it again.
"Basting it every few minutes makes the pork knuckle look more beautiful and present better. It also keeps it piping hot."
A dish with this much sugar will get sticky as it cools, so it’s crucial to keep the pork knuckle hot.