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Pork Knuckles and Ginger Stew
5 from 24 votes

Pork Knuckles and Ginger Stew

This Pork Knuckles and Ginger Stew features slow-simmered pork knuckles cooked in a sweetened black vinegar broth infused with peeled, smashed, and stir-fried ginger. The long cooking process mellows the ginger’s spiciness while extracting rich flavor, resulting in tender meat with a tangy, subtly sweet, and warming broth. Hard-boiled eggs cooked alongside absorb the flavors, making the stew hearty and nourishing.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
3 hrs
Total Time
3 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 12
Calories: 351 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients

  • 5 cups black vinegar 2 bottles, each bottle is 20 fl oz / 600 ml, Pat Chun brand, sweetened
  • 3 pounds ginger
  • 2 pounds pork knuckles or pork trotter
  • 12 egg You can cook more or less according to you need
Water for boiling Pork Knuckles:
  • 6 cups water
Water for Cooking Eggs in Instant Pot:
  • 1 cup water
Ice Bath for the Eggs:
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 cups ice

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Use a butter knife or a peeler to peel off 3 pounds of fresh ginger roots. Then, rinse or wash it.
  2. After that, use the side of the knife to smash the ginger, break it down a little bit. This can help ginger absorb the sweetened black vinegar. Or, some people like to cut ginger into slices. Personally, I like it in chunks. 
  3. Next, put the peeled ginger from step 2 into the wok and turn on medium small fire. Stir fry the ginger until it is dry and slightly browned. The purpose of this step is to dry the ginger. Remember don’t add oil to stir fry the ginger. 
  4. The following step, transfer the stir fried ginger from step 3 into the clay pot.
  5. Pour 5 cups ( 2 bottles of 20 fl oz, 600 ml each bottle) of Pat Chun sweetened black vinegar in the pot. Cover the lid and turn on the fire to medium and let it cook until it's boiling. Then, turn the fire to small and simmer for at least 2 hours.
  6. * Personally, I like to cook until the ginger is not that spicy, the process takes 1 to 2 weeks. Therefore, I normally make this dish a month before the due date of the baby. I don’t cook the pork trotter/knuckle and eggs until the ginger is not spicy. I reheat the ginger with the black vinegar until it is boiling and don’t open the lid. Then, turn off the fire. Just leave it on the stove, I repeat this step for 7-14 days.
  7. When the ginger is ready and not that spicy, pour 6 cups of water into the wok and turn on high fire. Let the water boil.
  8. Put 2 pounds of pork knuckles/ trotter (pig feet) into the boiling water. Let it cook until it's boiling again.
  9. Drain and rinse the pork knuckles.
  10. After that, put the boiled pork knuckles into the ginger black vinegar stew. Cover the lid and turn on medium fire until it's boiling. Then, turn the fire to small and simmer for 30 minutes.
  11. Meanwhile, pour 1 cup of water into the instant pot and put in a rack. Then, place 12 eggs on the rack. Close the lid and vent, push the manual button to adjust time for 2 minutes at high pressure and naturally release the pressure.(See details on how to make hard boiled eggs instant pot post or you can just boil it over the top stove for 15 minutes.)
  12. When the eggs are done, put the eggs into the ice bath. (2 cups of ice and 4 cups of water)
  13. Peel off the hard boiled eggs and put them into a bowl.
  14. After cooking the pork knuckles for 30 minutes, open the lid.
  15. Add the hard boiled eggs from step 13. Mix the vinegar sauce and eggs a little bit and turn off the heat. (You can add more eggs as you need. Also, you can add more eggs the next day or so.)

Notes

  • Peel and lightly smash ginger to enhance vinegar absorption and flavor release.
  • Stir-fry ginger without oil until dry and slightly browned to mellow its spiciness.
  • Simmer ginger in sweetened black vinegar for at least two hours, or extend to 1-2 weeks to reduce sharpness as preferred.
  • Prepare the ginger vinegar base well ahead; add pork knuckles and eggs only when ginger flavor is settled.
  • Slow cook or use a slow cooker to shorten ginger mellowing time and control spice intensity.
  • Add eggs gradually to the stew according to serving needs.

Nutrition Information

Calories 351kcal (18%) Carbohydrates 21g (7%) Protein 20g (40%) Fat 22g (34%) Saturated Fat 8g (40%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g (12%) Monounsaturated Fat 9g (45%) Trans Fat 0.05g (3%) Cholesterol 214mg (71%) Sodium 142mg (6%) Potassium 533mg (11%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 238IU (5%) Vitamin C 6mg (7%) Calcium 61mg (6%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 351

% Daily Value*

Calories 351kcal 18%
Carbohydrates 21g 7%
Protein 20g 40%
Fat 22g 34%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 9g 45%
Trans Fat 0.05g 3%
Cholesterol 214mg 71%
Sodium 142mg 6%
Potassium 533mg 11%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 2g 4%
Vitamin A 238IU 5%
Vitamin C 6mg 7%
Calcium 61mg 6%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.