Wonder stew that is black vinegar trotters

Food columnist

May 22, 2016 06:00 am

Not many people today can mentally recall the flavour profile of what old ginger, sesame oil, black vinegar and black or brown sugar can do to meat, especially pig trotters.

Mayonnaise with wasabi? Check.

Truffle with olive oil? Tick.

Lime with sambal? No problemo.

But when it comes to this iconic Cantonese combination, which is slowly but surely disappearing from Singapore's makan radar, many will draw a blank.

I sense there is a large group of Gen Xers out there who have a natural affinity for this dish.

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Your mummy probably relied on it to rid her system of "wind in the tummy" to get her figure back on track, or slurped it to aid lactation after giving birth to your baby brother or sister.

It was de rigueur when it came to confinement nutrition back in the days before yoga was in. And you likely tucked into the dish with your mum, and it probably grew on you and the taste stuck over time.

It is not a love-at-first-taste dish.

The potent old ginger has a certain bite, while the sweet and sourish black vinegar (old chefs will tell you only one brand can be used - the one with the "dog" logo) calms it somewhat.

Some versions go heavy on the brown sugar, while others lay it on thick with the sour sensation. Hard boiled eggs are sometimes added for texture, but it is the trotters that complete the equation.

Weird, some may call this dish, but many others will say "sock it to me".

Few stalls now can do justice to this Cantonese wonder stew. Here are two of them:

 HONG KONG VINEGAR TROTTERS

The boss was the former owner of Lao Huo Dang soup (double boiled soup) who sold his business and set up this stall just a few years back. If you know your black vinegar trotters like I do, then you will automatically be attracted by the full-height wall rack of the "dog brand" bottles of black vinegar at this stall.

Its version leans on the sweeter side of sour, and the chef cooks it one claypot at a time for each order.

This one is a shoo-in for beginners, and the trotters are braised till fork-press tender. It looks nice and does not scream black vinegar nor old ginger too loudly.

I think fans of sweet sour mee siam will like this version.

 CHENG MUN CHEE KEE

It is well known for the perfect local hangover soup - ter huang kiam chye, or pork and offal salted vegetable soup. This is why it makes sense for the eatery to use some of the broth to spike the umami and tang quotient in the black vinegar trotters, which is offered as a side dish here.

Its rendition has a more pronounced sourish-sharp vinegar accent with just a hint of old ginger. The trotters are tender, although it isn't served in a pretty claypot. This one is for those with familiar palates.

If you ask me, I will have this most days without rice, but not because of the recent news about how a bowl of rice is worse than a can of cola when it comes to increasing the risk of diabetes.

It is just that I like it unadulterated, and I love the rush of sharp vinegar and gingery sweet broth down the hatch.

KF Seetoh, the founder of Makansutra, dabbles in street food businesses like Food Markets, his own TV shows on cable, publishing food guides, consultancy and online content. He is also the creator of the World Street Food Congress. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

HONG KONG VINEGAR TROTTERS