Braised knuckle of pork

1.2 kg knuckle of pork

6 shallots

75 g ginger

2 tbsp peanut oil

1 tsp Szechuan pepper

3 star anise

6 Chinese spring onions

1 spring onion (optional)

50 g candy sugar

1 l water

3 tbsp soy sauce

dark

4 tbsp soy sauce

mild

Place the knuckle of pork in a suitable saucepan, cover with water, bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes. Skim off the scum from the surface of the water with a skimmer. Pour off the water, cool the knuckle of pork in ice-cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper.

Cut the ginger into thumb-sized pieces. Peel and halve the shallots.

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the peppercorns, star anise, spring onions, ginger and shallots and sweat until the aroma is fragrant.

Add the candy sugar and half the water and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the mixture into the porcelain dish. Add the other half of the water and the two soy sauces and stir together well. Place the knuckle of pork in the dish and baste with the mixture.

Put the porcelain dish on to the wire shelf in the cold cooking space. Cook.

Hot air + steaming 120 °C for 3 Hrs

Take the knuckle of pork out of the cooking space when done. Strain the sauce into a saucepan and reduce by three quarters.

4 portions of long-life noodles

Chilli

for garnishing

Spring onion

for garnishing

Star anise

for garnishing

Cook the long-life noodles until soft, following the instructions on the packet. Finely chop the chilli and spring onion.

Serve the knuckle of pork with the noodles and some sauce. Garnish with the star anise, chopped chilli and spring onion.