Bundled Hoof

Bundled Hoof

　　Bundled Hoof is a braised cold dish, meticulously crafted and visually appealing. It has a tender, sweet texture with a rich gelatinous elasticity, making it especially enjoyable when chewed slowly and perfect as an accompaniment to alcohol. The preparation involves scraping and cleaning a pig’s trotter, removing the hoof cap and the fleshy part of the trotter, then carefully scraping the surface clean with a blade. The upper knee meat is removed, leaving only the knee joint attached to a piece of pig skin. Next, one hand firmly holds the peeled pig skin and pulls it downward while the other uses a pointed knife to gradually cut around the lower knee bone down to the hoof base, removing the lower knee meat and scraping off the fat. This leaves the four small bones at the tip of the hoof and a complete piece of pig skin, forming a cylindrical shape for later use. Then, the skin at the pig’s belly and tail is scraped and cleaned. The pork tendon, pork skin jelly, and lean pork are all cut into 4 cm long, 1 cm wide, and 0.3 cm thick slices. The soaked dried mushrooms are sliced into coarse shreds, the dried shrimp are soaked in water to soften and then drained. The dried bream is deep-fried until crispy, then taken out and ground into powder. All these ingredients are placed together in a basin, mixed with kaoliang wine, sugar, salt, and MSG, and stirred into a filling mixture, which is then marinated for one hour. The marinated filling is then stuffed into the cylindrical pig skin, packed tightly toward the hoof base, and a sewing needle is used to prick small holes from the outside in to allow trapped air to escape, ensuring the filling is compact and firm. Once the pig skin is fully stuffed, the opening is sewn shut tightly. The stuffed pig skin is then wrapped in clean gauze to maintain its shape, and four bamboo strips of the same length are placed around it. The whole bundle is then tightly secured with hemp rope, forming the raw Bundled Hoof.

　　The raw Bundled Hoof is then placed in an earthenware bowl, to which 1500 grams of water and braising liquid are added. The mixture is brought to a boil over medium heat, after which the heat is reduced and the Bundled Hoof is simmered for one hour. It is then removed, and a sewing needle is used to prick small holes into the pig skin. The Bundled Hoof is returned to the bowl and simmered for another hour over low heat. After cooling, the ropes, bamboo strips, and gauze are removed, and the surface of the pig skin is brushed with sesame oil. When serving, the stitching is removed, and the Bundled Hoof is placed on a cutting board, first cut in half, then each half is sliced into half-moon-shaped thin pieces, which are stacked on a plate. Depending on the diners’ preferences, garnishes such as tomato slices, pickled radish, mustard sauce, or chili sauce can be added and served in small dishes.