Introduction to Maple Ginger Pork Trotters
Maple Ginger Pork Trotters, or Jian Ding Ti, is a traditional Han Chinese dish in the Shanghai region. It has a unique taste of "fragrance" when eaten cold and "glutinous" when steamed. The soup is rich and the sauce is thick and red, with a sweet and savory taste. The selection of ingredients emphasizes freshness and quality, while the seasoning is a mix of salty, sweet, fermented, and sour flavors. The dish "Red-braised Humpback Fish" is another celebrated dish that showcases the original taste of the ingredients, with a red color and a thick, fatty, yet tender texture.
Nutritional Value of Maple Ginger Pork Trotters
Pork trotters are rich in nutrients, particularly protein and collagen – which can contribute to skin health, body weight, and muscle growth. Pork Trotters have a sweet, salty taste and are neutral in nature; they have the function of nourishing blood vessels, lubricating the skin, filling the kidney essence, and strengthening the waist and legs.
Product Features of Maple Ginger Pork Trotters
The dish has a dark red and shiny color, with a crispy texture that doesn't fall apart when heated and a fragrant and delicious taste when served cold. The meat is tender, and the soup is rich and not greasy, making it a favorite for many.
Origin and History of Maple Ginger Pork Trotters
1. "Maple Height" is a small town in Jinshan District, Shanghai, originally named "White Ox Village". It is said that in the Song Dynasty, a scholar named Chen who had been a county magistrate in Shanyin was removed from his post. He retired to this place and named himself "White Middleman". Because of his clean and righteous life, after his death, the White Ox Village of Jinshan District was renamed "Qingfeng Path" and later known as "Maple Height".
2. "Maple Path Pig Trotters" and the "Ding Yixing Hotel" in this town are related. In 1852 (the second year of the Xianfeng reign of the Qing Dynasty), two brothers surnamed Ding opened a hotel named "Ding Yixing" in the Zhangjiaqiao area of this town. The business was average, but it was not enough to satisfy the desire of the Ding brothers to expand and make more money. In order to further open up the market and expand their business, the Ding brothers focused on Maple Path pig trotters. The Maple Path pig is a famous Taihu breed, whose thin skin, white meat, moderate fat, and tender meat make it easy to cook. The Ding brothers used a mix of Jiaxing Yaofushun sun-dried soy sauce, Shaoxing old cellar brewed wine, Suzhou Guiyuanzhai rock sugar, and appropriate amounts of cloves, cinnamon, and ginger as seasonings, cooked it over a fire, and simmered it on a low heat. The trotter was cooked until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with the flavorful soup absorbed into the meat. The final dish was completely shaped, with a dark red and shiny color, and a fragrant and delicious taste. The meat was tender, and the soup was rich and not greasy, making it a favorite dish for many. People called it "Ding trotters", named after the shop owner Ding.
Production Method for Maple Ginger Pork Trotters
Maple Ginger Pork Trotters use local pig trotters from Maple Height (Maple pigs) as ingredients. The trotters go through 8 procedures, including trimming, blanching, hair removal, slow-cooking, adding seasoning and deboning.
1. Clean and scrub the Maple pig trotters and remove the hair, scrape away the impurities and cut off the hoof bone. Blanch the trotters with boiling water and trim away any excess fat and skin.
2. Put the trotters in a pot, add water or old soup, soy sauce, rock sugar, yellow rice wine, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger, and boil over high heat, then simmer on low heat, so that the trotters are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The soup is absorbed into the meat and is flavorful.
3. When the trotters are cooked thoroughly, turn up the heat to thicken the sauce. Add MSG, and remove the residue of cloves, cinnamon, and ginger to allow the sauce to bind tightly to the trotters
4. Serve as a sliced dish or on a more decorative plate.
Tips:
1. During the cooking process, skim off any oil film and debris to keep the trotters clean and avoid fouling the bottom of the pot.
2. The soup should be sufficient to cover the trotters.
3. You can put the spices in a cloth bag, tie it, and then put it into the soup pot. Before the sauce is thick, take out the spice bag.
4. The old soup should be reused. During the preservation period, it should be boiled with fresh ingredients regularly to avoid corruption and spoilage.
Awards and Honors of Maple Ginger Pork Trotters
From 1852 to 1899, the sales market of Maple Ginger Pork Trotters spread throughout the Shanghai and Hangzhou regions. They were sold in the markets of Nanyang, Europe, and the United States, winning awards and certificates in more than 20 countries and regions. In 1910, Maple Ginger Pork Trotters won the Silver Award of the Nanyang Industrial Promotion Society and the award certificate of the Zhejiang Governor. It has also won gold medals at the Panama International Fair and the Leipzig Fair in Germany.
In 1909, the Qing court issued a decree approving the establishment of the first Nanyang Industrial Promotion Society held by China, encouraging businessmen across the country to "select and promote high-quality products and actively participate in the competition." Maple Ginger Pork Trotters participated in this event and won the Silver Award of the Nanyang Industrial Promotion Society in 1910, the gold medal of the Panama International Fair in 1915, the first prize of the Philadelphia World Expo in 1926, and the gold medal of the Leipzig Fair in Germany in 1935. It has participated in exhibitions in more than 20 countries and regions. In 1993, it won the title of "Chinese Time-honored Brand" issued by the Ministry of Domestic Trade of the People's Republic of China, and the Silver Award at the 25th Geneva International Invention and New Technology Exhibition in 1997.
