Pork Hock Braised with Lotus Root

Name: Pork Hock Braised with Lotus Root (Móng Heo Kho Củ Sen)
Yield: Serves 4-6 as part of a Shared Meal
Cuisine: Vietnam
Ingredients: 6 garlic cloves, bashed; ½ teaspoon sichuan peppercorns; ½ teaspoon coriander seeds; ½ teaspoon cumin seeds; ½ teaspoon fennel seeds; 4 cm (1½ inch) piece of dried mandarin peel; 5 cm (2 inch) piece of cassia bark or cinnamon; 2 star anise; 2 fresh pork hocks, cleaned and cut into 4 cm (1½ inch) pieces (ask your butcher to do this for you); 200 g (7 oz) lotus root, peeled and sliced into round pieces, about 5 mm (¼ inch) thick; 1 star anise, to garnish; piece of cassia bark, to garnish; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce; 4 tablespoons light soy sauce; 4 tablespoons fish sauce; 2 tablespoons sugar

Móng Heo Kho Củ Sen

Preparation info

Serves
4-6
as part of a Shared Meal

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Songs of Sapa

By Luke Nguyen

Published 2009

About

THIS DISH MUST BE EATEN WITH YOUR HANDS, SO DON’T EVEN ATTEMPT TO USE CHOPSTICKS. IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE FINDING DRIED MANDARIN PEEL, MAKE IT YOURSELF BY LEAVING MANDARIN PEEL AT ROOM TEMPERATURE FOR A DAY OR SO UNTIL CRISP. IT WILL NOT ONLY ADD GREAT DEPTH TO THE DISH, BUT IT ALSO RELEASES MANY MEDICINAL ANTIBACTERIAL QUALITIES. THE AROMATIC FRAGRANCE OF THE SPICES REMINDS ME OF HOME-COOKED COMFORT FOOD.

Ingredients

Asia
Vietnam
Hue
Dinner
Main course
Southeast Asia

Ingredients

Method