Ingredients
500 g (about 1 lb) boneless pork hock, 500 g (about 1 lb) fresh broth, 100 g (about 3.5 oz) garlic chives.
Seasonings
50 g lard, 30 g vegetable oil, 15 g each of cooking wine, caramel color, and water starch, 3 g salt, 25 g Sichuan Pixian broad bean paste.
Instructions
1. Wash the pork hock, blanch it in boiling water with chicken bones, then rinse clean. Score the pork hock into large square pieces, place the chicken bones at the bottom of the pot, and set the pork hock skin-side down on top of the bones.
2. Place a wok over high heat, add lard and heat until hot, then add the finely chopped Pixian broad bean paste and stir-fry until it releases a red color, pour in fresh stock, strain out the bean paste residue, add salt, cooking wine, and caramel coloring, then pour this mixture into the pot containing the pork hock.
3. Place the pot over high heat and bring to a boil, skim off any foam, then reduce to low heat and simmer until the sauce thickens and the pork hock becomes tender. Remove the pork hock. Heat oil in a wok, add garlic sprouts, salt, and cooking wine, stir-fry briefly, then transfer to a plate as a base. Place the pork hock skin-side up on top of the garlic sprouts. Thicken the reserved braising liquid, add a cornstarch slurry to create a glossy sauce, and when it thickens and oil appears on the surface, pour it over the pork hock and serve. This dish is glossy and reddish in color, with a tender and sticky texture, rich but not greasy, and mildly spicy with a savory aroma.