Name: Crisp sweet and sour pork hock
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 360 min
Total time: 420 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: For deep-frying: vegetable oil; To serve: fried shallots, thinly sliced spring onions and long red chillies, coriander, and steamed rice; Red-cooked pork hocks; 200 ml each Shaoxing wine and soy sauce; 60 gm rock sugar, crushed (see note); 25 gm (5cm piece) ginger, coarsely chopped; 5 star anise; 1 piece cassia bark; 2 spring onions, coarsely chopped; 3 pork hocks (about 3kg); Sweet and sour sauce; ½ onion, coarsely chopped; 3 small garlic cloves; 15 gm ginger, coarsely chopped; 25 ml fish sauce; 250 gm caster sugar; 75 ml Chinese red vinegar; 50 gm Chinese yellow soy paste (huangjiang); 75 ml tomato sauce

Crisp sweet and sour pork hock

Recipe for Mr Wong's crisp sweet and sour pork hock.

Serves 6

Prep

Cook

Total

“How do I recreate Mr Wong’s fabulous pork hock?”

Sam Sharp, Kensington, NSW

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Ingredients

For deep-frying: vegetable oil

To serve: fried shallots, thinly sliced spring onions and long red chillies, coriander, and steamed rice

Red-cooked pork hocks

200 ml each Shaoxing wine and soy sauce

60 gm rock sugar, crushed (see note)

25 gm (5cm piece) ginger, coarsely chopped

5 star anise

1 piece cassia bark

2 spring onions, coarsely chopped

3 pork hocks (about 3kg)

Sweet and sour sauce

½ onion, coarsely chopped

3 small garlic cloves

15 gm ginger, coarsely chopped

25 ml fish sauce

250 gm caster sugar

75 ml Chinese red vinegar

50 gm Chinese yellow soy paste (huangjiang)

75 ml tomato sauce

Method

Main

1.For red-cooked pork hocks, bring ingredients except pork hocks and 4.5 litres water to the boil in a stockpot. Add hocks, reduce heat to low and simmer until hocks are soft and gelatinous (5 hours). Place hocks on a tray. When cool enough remove bones and knuckle, trying not to break up the meat and skin. Discard bones and stock.

2.Line a 5cm-deep 20cm x 30cm tray with baking paper and spread pork evenly in tray. Top with a sheet of baking paper, then another tray to fit inside the first, weight with food cans and refrigerate overnight to set.

3.For sweet and sour sauce, blend onion, garlic and ginger in a small food processor to a fine paste, using some fish sauce to blend if necessary. Set aside. Stir sugar and 100ml water in a wide saucepan over medium-high heat to dissolve, brush edges with a wet pastry brush to remove sugar crystals and cook without stirring until light caramel (5-6 minutes). Add remaining ingredients and reserved paste and simmer to a thick glaze (2-3 minutes). Makes about 2 cups. Sauce will keep refrigerated for a month.

4.Cut pressed pork into 2cm cubes. Heat oil in a large wok or deep-fryer to 180C and deep-fry 10 pieces of pork at a time, loosening them from the bottom with a metal spatula, until crisp and golden (2-3 minutes; be careful as hot oil will spit). Drain on paper towels, then toss in sweet and sour sauce (about ½ cup) and serve scattered with fried shallots, spring onion, chilli and coriander alongside steamed rice.

Note Start this recipe a day ahead to press the pork. Rock sugar and yellow soy paste are available from Chinese supermarkets.
Notes

The Gourmet Traveller Team

Gourmet Traveller is Australia’s trusted authority on food, travel and luxury lifestyle, bringing the latest news and trends to life through quality journalism, enticing recipes and evocative photography. For more than 55 years, it has been inspiring and informing Australians with the best in cooking, dining, travelling and shopping. Our critics bring the expertise of years of critical eating, drinking and writing to the table. Plus, as the country’s leading title in the luxury sector, Gourmet Traveller works closely with Australia’s leaders in the travel and hospitality industries to give our readers exclusive access. The Gourmet Traveller legacy is one of trust, prestige and relevance.

Styling by Lucy Tweed

Styling by Nick Banbury