Fresh ham, about 5 pounds
-(pork shoulder with bone
-may be used)
8 Green onions
3 tb Peanut oil
8 sl Fresh ginger
4 Garlic cloves, peeled and
-crushed
MMMMM----------------------BRAISING LIQUID---------------------------
5 c Hot water
1 c Dark soy sauce
1 c Rice wine or dry sherry
3 tb Whole roasted Szechwan
-peppercorns
6 tb Rock or ordinary sugar
4 Star anise
2 Cinnamon sticks or bark
2 ts Five-spice powder
1 ts Salt
This is a recipe from Ken Hom, an author of a number of excellent
Chinese cookbooks. This is a "red-stewed" dish. (No reflection on
Ken's politics... ) The sauce can be kept as a "master sauce" and
used over and over again gaining more subtlety and depth the longer
you keep it going. Either freeze it or refrigerate and boil once a
week.
Author's note: "This dish is easy to prepare, and can be made ahead
of time. It reheats well and is also very good served cold++prefect
for a dinner party or large gathering."
Dry the ham thoroughly with paper towels. Cut the green onions into
3-inch segments
Choose a heavy casserole pot, large enough to hold the ham
comfortably. Heat the pot and then add the oil, ginger, garlic and
green onions, and stir-fry in the pot for 2 minutes. Push the
aromatics to the side and brown the ham on each side until it has
some color, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour off oil.
Add all the braising liquid ingredients to the pot and bring the
mixture to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer, cover tightly,
turning the ham from time to time. When the ham is tender, remove it
gently with a large spatula. The meat should be literally falling
apart. Place it on a serving platter.
Strain the sauce, skim off any surface fat and reduce the liquid
until it is slightly thick. Pour this over the ham and serve.
