Thursday, December 3, 2015

Zhu Jiao Dong

Can you tell what this is?

One day I bought a portion of stewed pork trotters from the teochew duck stall near MBPJ, PJ (Kam Heong Coffee Shop to be exact) as takeaway and put it in my fridge. The next day, to my surprise it has turned into pork aspic aka pork trotter jelly. I have eaten this dish in Taiwan when my mother and grandmother prepared it but not in KL. There are eateries in Taiwan serving this dish too as appetisers. I searched online and found that this dish is served in one Teochew eatery in Singapore but I have not come across this dish locally.

The ‘zhu jiao dong’ (mandarin) is made by stewing pig trotters for hours until the collagen from the skin gets into the gravy/sauce making it gelatinous. Then it is chilled into a translucent jelly and served cold. I inadvertently made pork trotter jelly and it was delicious!

Have you eaten this cold dish before?

31 comments:

  1. Never ate that but yes, I've seen it turn into jelly after being kept in the fridge. Delicious, eh? Hmmmm....not sure if I would like to try. Hehehehe!!!!

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    1. You don't like to eat cold savoury food?

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    2. I have a very sudden craving for this right now and that's why I'm here but it's actually very hard to make and theres only 2 places that might have it, putien and swatou restaurant. You should go try is delicious

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    3. I have a very sudden craving for this right now and that's why I'm here but it's actually very hard to make and theres only 2 places that might have it, putien and swatou restaurant. You should go try is delicious

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  2. so you made your own "zhu jiao dong" unintentionally, that's good huh?? now you know how you can make this dish which is not very common in KL.. i think i've seen this at home before, but probably after taking the braised pork out from the fridge and reheat it, the jelly was gone.. haha!!

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    1. Next time just eat the jelly cold and don't reheat it.

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  3. Oh yes, I noticed this jelly like phenomenon too when I store my pork belly or pork leg dish in the fridge. Did you eat it cold? I don't seem to appreciate it when it is cold.

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    1. Yes I ate it cold. You don't like cold savoury appetisers?

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  4. The only food I eat cold is raw salmon, other than that, I don't really appreciate cold food

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    1. If you go to Taiwan they serve many cold savoury appetisers.

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  5. I ever see those fried pork trotters on TV, never try before, but I think must be very nice, yum yum

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  6. I hear collagen and my eyes went big! We need them.
    It is interesting to see the jelly after overnight chilling.
    Next month, I might visit wifey in Taipei when she goes to conduct training.
    You just reminded me Taipei has so much street food. Yums!

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  7. Er... I've had it once before, but I forgot where. Can't say I like it. I still prefer my pork to be warm and the gravy to be.. well.. gravy.

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    1. Do you like to eat other cold savoury appetisers?

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  8. Ha?? I have seen something like this when take it out from the fridge, but don't know it can be eaten one lo.

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  9. Yes, I've had this happen to me when I pack unfinished food from my mom's place and left it in the fridge....and it wasn't a stewed pork trotters dish. It happened to a braised mushroom dish with a similar oyster and black sauce. I think it could be the cornflour that is used to thicken the sauce that coagulates when left in the fridge.

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    1. This remains as jelly even in room temperature after that and is full of collagen goodness.

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  10. looks 'geli' from the picture itself...but I thought refrigerated overnite food and gravy tends to be like that.

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    1. The jelly shape does not melt even in room temperature due to the collagen.

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  11. Oh, I ate this before many years ago, when I came back from school late and was lazy to heat up the food taken from the fridge. That was because I was very hungry. But now I prefer my braised pork, chicken claws, etc to be heated up and warm.

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  12. Nice, it's packed full of collagen! I've never eaten aspic like this but have eaten aspic in the form of "formed slices" in Germany - they use pork gelatin too and make transparent "slices" of deli meat in a loaf shape - filled with all sorts of things from cheese to chilli.

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    1. Yes, those served in restaurants are in formed slices or in some nice shapes from jelly containers. I did not make this intentionally so it is in a uneven form as it came out of a plastic bag, LOL!

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  13. A bit geli eating cold, no? :)

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    1. No, not geli at all. I find it delicious. Do you eat those cold savoury appetiser dishes in China/Taiwan?

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  14. I've never had this before but have seen pork leg stew turned into aspic while in the fridge.

    I saw a documentary where you can eat it cold just like that or put it on top of a bowl of hot rice, where it will dissolve and make the rice taste nicer.

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  15. We have somthing very similar in Hungary, called "kocsonya", traditionally made in winter time and part of the new years eve meal. We sprinkle it with vinegar and eat it with fresh bread🙂

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