Braised Pork Hock with Star Anise

Name: Braised Pork Hock with Star Anise
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 140 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 2 (1½ lb each) Pork hocks; ¼ cup Soy sauce; 2 tbsp Dark soy sauce; 2 tbsp Brown sugar; 4 slices Fresh ginger; 4 cloves Garlic; 3 whole Star anise; 1 stick Cinnamon stick; 1 lb Bok choy; 2 tbsp Vegetable oil

Pork hock slowly braised until the meat falls off the bone in a dark, glossy star anise sauce. A showstopping centerpiece for festive gatherings.

🕐 Prep 20m🔥 Cook 120m🍽️ Serves 4🌶️ Festive● medium⚡ 560 kcal

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Ingredients

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2 (1½ lb each)Pork hocksask butcher to cut into 2-inch pieces

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¼ cupSoy sauceuse tamari for gluten-free

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2 tbspDark soy saucesub: regular soy sauce + 1 tsp molasses

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2 tbspBrown sugar

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4 slicesFresh gingerno need to peel

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4 clovesGarlicsmashed

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3 wholeStar anisesub: ½ tsp fennel seeds per star anise

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1 stickCinnamon stick

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1 lbBok choyhalved lengthwise; sub: Swiss chard

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2 tbspVegetable oilfor searing

Method

Blanch Pork Hocks

Blanch the pork hocks in a large pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. This removes impurities for a cleaner-tasting sauce. Drain, rinse under cold water, and pat completely dry with paper towels.

Sear the Pork

Heat vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the pork pieces on all sides until deeply golden brown, about 6 minutes total. Remove and set aside.

Add Braising Liquid

Return pork to the pot. Add soy sauces, brown sugar, 3 cups water, ginger, garlic, star anise, and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil.

Slow Braise

Reduce heat to the lowest possible simmer. Cover the pot and cook for 1 hour 30 minutes. Check occasionally — if liquid drops below halfway, add a splash of water.

Reduce the Sauce

Uncover the pot. Increase heat to medium-high. Let the sauce boil and reduce for 15 minutes until it becomes thick, glossy, and coats the back of a spoon.

Serve

While the sauce reduces, blanch the bok choy in boiling water for 1 minute until bright green. Serve the pork over steamed rice with bok choy on the side. Spoon the glossy sauce generously over everything.

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