Recipe: Braised pork knuckle with mushrooms and fat choy

One of the must-have ingredients for me during Chinese New Year is pork knuckle. You can cook it in various ways including braising with sea cucumber or cooking with black vinegar. This year, we braised the pork knuckle with lots of Chinese mushrooms and topped with boiled eggs and fat choy.

Braised pork knuckle with mushrooms and fatt choy

Also known as ham hock, pork knuckle consists of mostly skin, tendons and ligaments, with just a little meat. It is braised for a long time (usually 2 hours) until the skin is springy to the bite. When buying pork knuckle (we usually go for the 猪手) at the market, ask your butcher to chop it into large chunks for you. Sinful and delicious, the best part is the gelatinous skin which you can eat with chopped chillies and garlic.

CNY Day 3 Dinner - braised pork knuckle with mushrooms and fat choy, fried fish, stir fried prawns and kailan.

Embracing the Year of the Pig with this delicious pork dish

Braised pork knuckle with mushroom
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 2 1/4 hours
Serves 6

Ingredients
1 pork knuckle (approx 1.5-2kg), cut into large chunks
2 whole garlic bulbs

2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 inch ginger, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tbsp of cooking oil

15-20 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked for 1 hour

Water, enough to cover the pork knuckle

A small handful fat choy 髮菜

4-6 boiled eggs

Seasoning
3-4 tbsp light soy sauce, to taste
2 tbsp dark soy sauce (for colour)

2 tbsp ginger wine

To serve

Cili padi, chopped

Garlic, finely chopped

Light soy sauce




1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the shallots and ginger. Saute for 2 minutes until fragrant and lightly browned.

2. Add the pork knuckle and brown the meat. Then, add enough water to cover the pork knuckle, dark soy sauce and about 2-3 tbsp of light soy sauce. Add the garlic. Bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce to low heat and braise for 1 1/2 hours .

3. Add in the mushroom, eggs and ginger wine and cook for a further 30 minutes. Season with more light soy sauce if required (to taste). 

4. In a small bowl, pour hot water over the fat choy. Drain and set aside.

5. Remove from heat. Skim off excess oil. Garnish with the fat choy and serve with 寿面 (longevity noodles).

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Piggy Yee Sang for Chinese New Year 2019

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

We welcomed the Year of the Pig with this awesome Piggy Yee Sang. On the first day of CNY, we usually have vegetarian food, so this is a simple vegetarian yee sang which the kids put together (while mummy and Grandma were cooking) to usher in the Lunar New Year. How adorable!

CNY Day 1 Vegetarian Lunch  - Jai, stir fried leeks, braised mushrooms with broccoli.

Toss to a prosperous new year

Braised mushrooms with broccoli  and fatt choy (vegetarian) with a piggy touch (you can make pig snouts using carrots)

Piggy Yee Sang
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Serves 5-6

Ingredients
Lettuce
1/3 radish, peeled and julienned
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
2 blueberries
Peanuts, crushed
Fish biscuit, or any other crackers
Grapes, washed and cut in half
1 mandarin orange, peeled and separated into segments


For the dressing
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey

1. Arrange the lettuce on the plate. Then, using the radish, form an oval shape for the pig face. Use the julienned carrot to make the ears. Cut off one thin slice of carrot from the thick end, and use an oval cutter to cut the snout. Use smaller circles to cut two holes to complete the snout.

2. Place blueberries for pig's eyes. Arrange grapes and mandarin oranges. Pour over peanuts and fish biscuit/crackers as well as dressing before tossing. Enjoy!

Note: You can use a julienne peeler which you can get from Daiso.

Family portrait for Chinese New Year 2019

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