Red cooked trotters with chicken wings and chestnuts

Name: Red cooked trotters with chicken wings and chestnuts
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 6 pigs' trotters, each sawn across into 4 pieces by the butcher; ½ cup rice wine; 2 cups water, approx.; 12 peeled, blanched chestnuts; 12 chicken winglets (the upper fleshy part of the wing)

Stephanie Alexander

October 19, 2011

Time:1-2 hoursServes:4

Red cooked trotters with chicken wings and chestnuts

Ingredients

6 pigs' trotters, each sawn across into 4 pieces by the butcher
½ cup rice wine
2 cups water, approx.
12 peeled, blanched chestnuts
12 chicken winglets (the upper fleshy part of the wing)

Flavourings

1 bunch green onions, cut into 7cm lengths
6 slices fresh ginger, peeled
4 tbsp sugar
½ cup dark soy sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
3 pieces dried tangerine peel

Method

Try the plain buns recipe they are ideally served with this dish to mop up the delicious juices of red-cooked pigs' trotters.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and tip in trotters. Bring back to boil, skim scum, and leave to simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse the trotters in cold water.
Select a pot that can be brought to the table, a large Chinese claypot is ideal. Place all the flavouring ingredients and wine in the pot. Add trotters. Add the water maybe a little more, if needed, to barely cover the meat. Place lid on tightly and cook over moderate heat for 2½ hours, checking after 2 hours that there is not too much evaporation. Add chestnuts and chicken and simmer for another ¾ of an hour or until trotters are meltingly tender.
Serve with steamed rice or steamed buns and a separately cooked dish of something green and cleansing. As trotters have many, many bones, you will need small bowls for depositing them. Finger bowls or hot steamed towels will be appreciated at the end of this luscious meal.