China · Chinese
Jellied pork trotter
The last of the cold starters and the most demanding of them. Bone-in pork trotter is deboned, simmered gently for about three hours with spice bags and wine, then laid skin side down in a mould, weighted to set, and **poured over with the braising liquor to cool naturally, so the collagen between skin and lean meat solidifies into a clear jelly.** Cut open, the section looks like crystal. This step is the heart of the dish and cannot be replaced with gelatin. It must be thoroughly reheated before being eaten cold. Public reference · home adaptation, not a historical original.
Public reference · Home adaptation The 'crystal' in jellied pork trotter is not a figure of speech but a visible physical result: over a long gentle cook the collagen in the trotter skin dissolves into the broth, and as it cools it sets into a semi-translucent jelly whose cut face is smooth as jade — hence the name. The knife work targets 'red meat, white skin, transparent aspic', and what it tests most is **the setting**: skin laid face down, a layer of skin over a layer of lean, weighted flat, so that once set it can be sliced into intact oval pieces without falling apart. Zhenjiang has an older local version called 水晶肴肉; the Yangzhou menu borrows its form and flavour. Placing it last among the cold starters, just before the seasonal vegetables, leaves a cool, translucent, sticky finish that resets the palate after the heavier dishes before it. The 2018 group-standard report lists the cold dishes by name only, so **this technique comes from a public home recipe with no correspondence to the banquet's own kitchen method**; it is not a historical original. **The seat list records only the dish name, not the method; this version's technique comes from the public home recipe Jellied pork trotter on xiachufang and has no correspondence to the actual three-head-banquet kitchen method.** It is not a historical original or a house secret (Zhenjiang has its own local tradition of 水晶肴肉, which is not exclusive to this banquet). **The core process cannot be skipped:** the dish takes its form because **collagen drawn out of the pork skin during cooking coagulates as it cools into a clear jelly**. It must therefore not be replaced with gelatin or any additive, and a 'crystal' look must not be faked by quick-freezing. The source states it is done once cooled, setting by natural cooling; this version **keeps natural cooling rather than switching to freezing**, and notes that cooling takes several hours and **is not counted in the cooking time.** **Safety limit:** braised meat products must be thoroughly reheated before being eaten cold (see the allergen note), and that step cannot be skipped; freezing also does not extend safe storage beyond the recommended limit. **Quantities, braising time and pressing time are editorial for 6 servings and have not been kitchen-tested**; the source's 'simmer gently about three hours' is the original wording, and since domestic burners differ, use a chopstick-inserted test instead of the clock. Only the technique is taken; no therapeutic claims are adopted. Codex source check: the cited method serves the set aspic cold and does not require steaming before serving. The added reheating step was removed. Cooling and refrigeration instructions are separately sourced editorial additions. Contains wheat and alcohol (yellow rice wine or cooking wine) and sesame (sesame oil); the dip and seasonings may also contain soy, so check labels. **This is a cooked meat product and must be thoroughly heated before being eaten cold** (steamed over 10 minutes or microwaved on high over 3 minutes until piping hot in the centre); cooked meat left at room temperature carries Listeria and other risks, and this step cannot be skipped. Sealed refrigerated storage is advised for no more than 24 hours. Bone fragments must be cleared during trimming so none is served. Contains meat; this is not a vegetarian dish. 下厨房：水晶肴蹄 — Supports simmering, pressing, adding broth, cooling to set and slicing to serve cold; no final steaming step. https://m.xiachufang.com/recipe/101765299/ 镇江水晶肴肉的历史及做法（搜狐号） — Regional context: Zhenjiang's 水晶肴肉 has its own history and method as a local cold dish, showing that the setting technique behind this dish belongs to a shared southern Jiangsu tradition rather than being unique to the Yangzhou three-head banquet. https://m.sohu.com/n/478731049/ 扬州晚报美食团：扬州发布“三头宴”团体标准（搜狐，2018-01-18） — Seat evidence: among the eight cold starters the jellied pork trotter is listed last, directly after the crisp-braised crucian carp. The report gives dish names and groupings only, with no methods. https://www.sohu.com/a/217424559_740963 FoodSafety.gov: 4 Steps to Food Safety — Prompt refrigeration in shallow containers, storage at or below 4°C and limits on time outside refrigeration. https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep-food-safe/4-steps-to-food-safety AI-generated illustration; not kitchen-tested.
Ingredients
- pork trotters with skin and bone, 2 pieces about 1.5 kg1500 g
- water for blanching and braising3000 ml
- salt, added in one go60 g
- Sichuan pepper, in a spice bag8 g
- star anise, in a spice bag4 piece
- scallions, cut and bagged60 g
- ginger, sliced and bagged30 g
- yellow rice wine or cooking wine150 ml
- garlic, crushed, for the dipping sauce20 g
- Chinkiang-style black vinegar, for dipping60 ml
- sesame oil, for dipping30 ml
Directions
- 1
Remove hair and bones from the trotters, briefly blanch and drain. Prepare scallion and ginger; keep cooked-food utensils separate from raw-meat equipment.
- 2
Cover the trotters with water in a pot, bring to a rolling boil and skim the scum thoroughly. Pack the Sichuan pepper and star anise into one muslin bag and the scallion and ginger into another, add both, pour in the wine, and bring back to the boil, skimming again. **Season in one go according to the quantity of meat and your own preference for salt** — adding salt later weakens the liquor and spoils the set.
- 3
Hold the meat below the liquid with a heatproof food-safe plate or weight. Simmer gently for about 3 hours until tender; adjust according to doneness, not a fixed rule about burner strength.
- 4
Lift out the cooked trotter and let it cool until it is no longer too hot to handle. Take a square dish and lay the meat in **skin side down**: if the trotters have two pieces of skin, put one piece of skin on the bottom and one on top with a layer of meat-with-lean between them, packing it in layers. Weight it with something clean and press for about 30 minutes to set the shape.
- 5
Strain the broth into shallow containers holding the meat. Refrigerate promptly at 4°C or below to cool and set; do not wait for a deep pot to cool completely. Keep total time outside refrigeration under 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C. Allow additional hours for the aspic to set.
- 6
Once set, slice with clean utensils and serve cold. Mix garlic, ginger and sesame oil, then add vinegar for dipping. Serve only the portion needed and keep the rest refrigerated.
Source: WorldBite · public-reference adaptation · Source-attributed editorial adaptation; AI illustration; not an authenticated original recipe.