Braised pig trotters with nam yue ~ 南乳焖猪手

I am not an ardent fan of 'Nam Yue', ' 南乳' but after seeing some recipes using this ingredient, I half heartedly gave it a try and I was amazed that this dish tasted so good.  'Nam Yue' is fermented beancurd made with a concoction of red  yeast '紅麴'', hence the red colour.
It can be an acquired taste and like I said before, I wasn't keen initially.  Let the flavours of the sauce infuse into the trotters and the dish will taste much better the next day.  You can serve this with plain rice or  noodles which I think will be just as satisfying.

Braised pig trotters with nam yue  ~ 南乳焖猪手 
Ingredients

• 600 gm pig trotter, chopped into chunks
• 1 piece nam yue (fermented beancurd)
• 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 Tbsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
• 10 gm piece sugar
• 2 Bay leaves
• 2 star anise
• 3 slices ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 onion, sliced
• white part of spring onion

Method

1. Wash and clean the pig trotters.  Bring a pot of water to the boil, add in the pig trotters and let it boil for about 5 mins., removing the scum off the water surface.  Dish out the  pig trotters and rinse again under running water, also removing any hair bristles off the skin.  Place them in a colander to rid off excess water.
2. Place the nam yue in a bowl, add in the wine and mash it up.
3. In a wok, add some oil, and saute the ginger, chopped garlic, star anise, bay leaves and white part of the spring onion till aromatic.
4. Add in the pig trotters, nam yue mixture, tossing the pig trotters to mix with the nam yue.  Add all the remaining ingredients, but not salt.  Top up with enough water to cover the pig trotters and bring to a rapid boil.  Lower the flame, cover with  lid and let it simmer for about 30 mins. or more.
5. Check the taste, add more light and dark soy sauce or piece sugar if required.  Continue to simmer till the meat is tender and the skin and collagen layers become soft and wobbly.  
6. Fine tune to taste and add salt if necessary.
7. Remove the lid and continue to simmer till you get the desired texture, poking with a fork to see whether the meat falls off the bone.  Also check on the consistency of the sauce as desired. 
8. Serve with white rice or noodles.