How to make Southern style fake dog meat stew, simple and delicious

Braised pig's feet with fake dog meat is a dish loved by many Vietnamese families, especially on rainy, cold days. Depending on the region, the way to make this dish is slightly different.

For example, in the North, after being grilled to get a beautiful color, the pork leg is often marinated with crushed galangal, turmeric juice, lemongrass, shrimp paste... then cooked twice to make the meat tender but the skin still crispy.

In the Central region, the dish of stewed pig's feet often has the sweetness of molasses, mixed with a bit of bitterness from tea... and the color also tends to be red or dark brown.

In the South, especially in the Southwest region, this dish is prepared a bit sweet due to the influence of the culinary culture of the Khmer and the Chinese people of Chaozhou, and cannot lack familiar ingredients such as fermented bean curd and fresh coconut water.

Spicy braised pork with chicken.jpg — Braised pig's feet with fake dog meat is a familiar dish in many Vietnamese families. Photo: Tham Tran

Below is a suggestion for how to make Southern-style fake dog meat stew, both simple and delicious:

Ingredients (for 3-4 people)

Pig's feet: 1 large or 2 small (weighing about 1.3-1.5kg)

Fresh coconut: 1 fruit

Fermented bean curd: 1 small bowl

Accompanying spices: Galangal, lemongrass, turmeric, shrimp paste, sugar, salt (or seasoning powder, fish sauce), herbs (coriander, Vietnamese coriander/cilantro)

braised pork with spices by Hong Son.png — Depending on the region and locality, the dish of braised pig's feet can be varied with a few different ingredients. Photo: Phan Hong Son

How to make Southern style fake dog meat stew

1. Prepare ingredients:

Buy the ham hock and roast it over a fire until the outer skin and hair are burnt, then scrape off the surface, wash thoroughly with water, and chop into bite-sized pieces.

Galangal, lemongrass, turmeric are pounded or chopped depending on preference, but pounding is best. Galangal should be young to bring out its characteristic aroma and not be tough or pulpy when cooked.

Marinate the chopped pork leg with galangal, lemongrass, turmeric, add a little shrimp paste, sugar, and fermented bean curd. Wait 30-40 minutes for the ingredients to absorb before putting on the stove to cook.

2. Stir-fry and braise fake dog meat:

When the mixture has absorbed the spices, turn on the stove, stir well for about 5-7 minutes until the pork leg is firm, then add fresh coconut water. You can add a little water to cover the meat, when the water boils, turn down the stove to simmer.

Simmer for about 45-50 minutes, when the meat is softer and has a nice color, season to taste and add chopped herbs.

Before eating, you can reheat the fake dog meat pot once more because people believe that this dish will be more delicious if braised twice, helping the meat to be soft and fragrant while the skin is still crispy and flavorful.

spicy braised pork.png — Braised pig's feet with fake dog meat is delicious served with hot rice or noodles. Photo: Chau Ngoc

Note

When buying ham hocks, you should choose the meat and front hoof because the back hoof is harder, has more tendons but less meat.

Grilled pork leg with straw is the best. If not, you can ask the seller to blow fire or grill it on gas stove or charcoal stove. Do not wrap the pork leg in newspaper before grilling, to avoid affecting your health.

You should buy fresh galangal and pound it yourself instead of buying pre-ground galangal.

Depending on each family, people can caramelize sugar or add a little caramel to give the dish a beautiful brown color.

How to make fake dog meat stew in Central style quickly Fake dog meat stew in Central style is not only a famous dish in the North but also has been modified to suit the taste of each region. VietNamNet would like to introduce how to cook fake dog meat stew in Central style.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/cach-lam-chan-gio-nau-gia-cay-kieu-mien-nam-vua-don-gian-vua-ngon-2404099.html