I can't say the method used below is the authentic way to prepare this dish, but the outcome was successful. The ears were stewed for about 3 hours in:
- water
- dark soy sauce
- rock candy
- salt
- ginger
- garlic
- cinnamon
- star anise
- si chuan peppercorns
- ground white pepper
Sorry, I don't have the exact measurements of these ingredients because I mainly added the ingredients to taste.
After the pig ears are tender, I fished them out and cooled them in the refrigerator along with some of the stewing liquid (it solidifies into a gelatin-like texture).
Once fully cooled (when the stewing liquid is like jell-o), they are ready for slicing. If you have a mandolin, you could slice them all together, which would create a pretty cool effect (this can be achieved using a knife, but it's a little harder). However, I chose to slice them (try for 1/16"-1/8" thickness) one at a time, perpendicular to the cartilage, with a well sharpened knife. I added some thinly sliced green onions to the dish and finally mixed in the secret ingredient: Lao Gan Ma (老干妈) chili sauce:) This brand has a variety of products, so here is the one I used: 油辣椒.
Anyhow, I hope I have not thoroughly disgusted you with the idea of cooking and eating pig's ears, but they really are good (if you can put aside the notion of eating an usual pig's part). In the meantime, I will be home enjoying its spicy, crunchy and gelatinous savoriness:)
6 comments:
This looks like it would be pretty good. Where did you find pig's ears? Were they fresh or frozen?
I bought fresh pig's ears from an Asian food store (Great Wall) in Falls Church, VA. Good luck finding them.
Yummy! =)
You probably know me since I am a PROFESSIONAL CHEF who graduated from Peter Kump’s Culinary School.
Of course, as an Italian immigrant to Brooklyn, I am not an EXPERT on pig ears, or such delicacies as that.
However, as a SENIOR ADVISER on the SeriousEats website (where I am highly regarded), I am expected to evaluate and report on chinese cooking, because of the HUGE asian readership of SeriousEats.
My fourth ex-husband “Chuck” (he is an immigrant chinese, famous New York City dentist you understand), would only eat asian dishes like chicken feet, pig ears, dog meat, and other things that I was not familiar with.
He ALWAYS told me that Italian food was nothing but garbage when compared to fine chinese cuisine.
Of course, now that I am once again divorced and living with “Big Bear” in a Clearwater, Florida trailer park, I have reverted to my old habits of eating mostly Pizza and pasta bake (Bear is a shop mechanic, as you know).
BUT, I still love to read about fine chinese cuisine such as sliced pig ears.
Thank you for a fine post.
chiffOnade (also known as MrsDocChuck)
Clearwater, Florida
My apologies.
My wife has been abusing her diet pills again.
Sorry for the pathetic rant.
DocChuck
Columbia, MAryland
Well said.
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