Yes, that and there's not much in terms of dairy products in the parts of China where I'm from. Having those bones soak in vinegar will leach a good amount of calcium out of them into the food for the mother. Also, it definitely tastes a lot better after soaking/cooking for a month!
薑醋 is not really for the milk but 補身 -- recovery for the mother after pregnancy. Ginger is the poor man's 補藥 - medicinal ingredients which strengthen the body. 補藥 traditionally can be very expensive, e.g. deer antler, ginseng. Using pig feet probably is because it's cheaper than meat.
haha, two more cantonese dishes. Sour plum duck surely is yummy. Maybe you could do 酒醸丸子加蛋 as dessert - milk-producing dessert😃 Congrats on passing language exam!
The ginger n pig feet concoction is not easy to prepare. It's important to use the cleaver n bang hard on the ginger to lessen the "hot" taste n allow better absorption of vinegar/sugar sauce. When I gave birth years ago my husband tried to make this for me but we have to throw out the whole thing. He didn't flatten the ginger n they are super spicy lol Trial n error ... ur guests are satisfied, that's the main thing I really admire ur generosity n effort in preparing the sumptuous meals for others, enjoy watching u cook tremendously, thank you!
This pigs feet dish is a very traditional Cantonese dish for women who have just given birth. The dish is cooked in a tall 5-10 gallon pot with whole SHELL ON eggs, tons of ginger after the skin has been scrapped off, and pigs feet. All cooked submerged in the special sweet vinegar 添丁甜醋. This vinegar is a dark sweet melted vinegar low acidity, does not taste sour. The purpose of the vinegar is to devolve the calcium from the bones and the egg shell into the soup. pigs feet is used because they are mainly pones and skin and tendons. Meat does not serve any of the sought after purposes. Ginger is to restore the weakened constitution of the mother during the pregnancy and childbirth. The soup is usually stewed for days. The soup does not taste sour but rather a bit spicy from the ginger. The egg shell is softened to like paper and only removed just before serving each individual servings. The skin and tendons should melt in the mouth which is the most natural form of gelatin and collagen This soup is heated up everyday and the new mother would have a bowl or two everyday and eat the egg, pigs feet and ginger with each serving.
Here is a little history. In North America butcher shops used to throw away chicken wings and pig's feet back in the 50's to early 70's. That was until the Chinese community started buying up all the chicken wings and pig feet knuckles for newborn babies. Today chicken wings is very expensive and pig's feet cost more than pork chops ! ...LoL
It would be nice if you could post the recipes in English please. So delicious and I want to cook so many, but don’t want to ruin a meal with a wrong guess on the ingredients and measurements needed for such beautiful meals.
The proper version of the dish with pig's feet with eggs(the eggs were not simmered as they are still white) is simmered with sweet ginger vinegar for mothers who have just given birth along with a Hollander gin infused chicken broth. In fact close family and relatives would bring these dishes to the new mother. Just imagine back in the days when meat was scarce relatives would slaughter a hog and gift the pig's knuckles to you as a sign of the highest praise. A pig only has four feet and one tail, the rarer/fewer the part(s) the more revered it is in Chinese culture.
Not a lot of chinese women can cook so well like me too. HaHaHa. Don't you fall tired cooking so many dishes. My version Black Sweet Vinegar Pig Feet (clean, cut & blanc). My seasoning : Black Vinegar 750ml /:1 bottle, oyster sauce, brown palm sugar, sugar, ginger slices, black beans, 1 tbsp fried garlic, soft black fungus, Water : 2 to 3 liter, light soy sauce. To taste the soup. Use pressure cooker (1.5 hrs), Soup Pot 2 hours (slow fire after boil point). Soup ready: Should be each person 1 bowl soup. This is soup version not thick sauce like yours. I also add 2 tbsp chicken powder. Up to you to taste while cooking. I did put all this and the soup taste delicious.
That sounds yummy! Thanks so much for sharing:) it does feel tiring while you're doing it but it also feels great to make something from my culture that my friends and family enjoy:)
