Pork Shank With Star Anise Recipes

CHINESE BRAISED PORK WITH PLUMS

Steps:

• Bring a very large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the pork belly and boil for 15 mins until cooked. Cool to room temperature, then cut into 4cm chunks and make sure they're dry.
• Heat some of the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish and brown the pork in batches. Once browned, set aside. Put the onion, spring onion whites, ginger, garlic and coriander stalks in a blender and whizz to a paste.
• After browning the pork, wipe out the dish, add the paste with a splash of water and gently heat until softened. Stir in the five-spice powder, star anise, cinnamon and 1 tsp ground pepper. Fry for 1 min, then add the sugar, soy sauces, hoisin sauce, vinegar and ginger syrup. Return the pork, plus any juices, then crumble in the stock cube and add enough water to just cover. Stir in a third of the plums and bring to a gentle simmer while you heat oven to 160C/140C fan/ gas 3. Cover the dish and bake for 2 1⁄2 hrs.
• Lift the pork into an ovenproof dish, cover with foil and keep warm in a low oven. Put the sauce back on the hob and boil until reduced by about half. Add the remaining plums and cook for a few mins more, then return the pork. Finely slice the spring onion greens and scatter over with the coriander leaves. Serve with jasmine rice and stir-fried greens.

PORK SHANK WITH STAR ANISE

Steps:

• Put the pork into a mixing bowl, and pour the soy sauce over it. Turn the meat in the soy sauce and let it stand at least one hour.
• Heat the 3 cups of oil in a wok or skillet over high heat and add the meat. Set the soy sauce aside. Cook the meat, turning in the oil and spooning the oil over, about 3 or 4 minutes until nicely browned.
• Transfer the meat to a heat-proof casserole, preferably one made of clay or earthenware. Pour over it the reserved soy sauce, and add the sugar, wine, star anise and 6 cups of the water. Cover tightly and bring to a boil. Cook over moderately high heat about 1 1/2 hours. Turn the pork often as it cooks. Lift the lid of the pot and partly cover.
• Continue cooking about 30 minutes, and add about 4 more cups of water. Partly cover and continue cooking about 1 1/2 hours. To test for doneness, insert a chopstick inside the meaty part of the shank. If it pierces evenly, the meat is done. Otherwise, continue cooking up to 30 minutes longer or until done.
• If the spinach is sandy, rinse well and drain.
• Heat remaining two tablespoons of oil in a wok or skillet and add the spinach. Cook, stirring, about 90 seconds, turning the spinach over and over until totally wilted.
• Arrange the spinach on a serving dish. Arrange the pork shank on top in the center. Spoon the sauce over. Cut the meat into individual portions and serve

BRAISED PORK SHANK IN COCONUT JUICE

Steps:

• Gently place the eggs in a pot and just cover with water. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat and cook until soft-boiled, about 5 minutes (about 2 minutes for quail eggs.) Rinse under cold water and allow to cool completely. Carefully shell the eggs intact. Make a caramel by combining the sugar and 1/4 cup water in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. When the sugar is melted and turns a rich gold, about 8 minutes, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the coconut juice and fish sauce (or 3 cups water and the soy sauce.) Reduce the heat to low and stir until the sauce is completely smooth. Add the pork shanks, turning them to coat evenly on all sides. Add the scallions, ginger, garlic, chilies, star anise, and five-spice powder, and simmer, covered, turning shanks occasionally, until the meat is fork tender, about 4 hours. With a ladle, skim off the fat and add the eggs. Continue simmering, ladling sauce over the eggs occasionally, until the eggs turn golden and cooked through, about 5 minutes.