今天一早起来窗外飘着雪，已经都积有好几寸了。和朋友们的聚会因为这场雪取消了。我看着炉子上为了聚会炖上的猪脚醋，加热瓦罐，马上就满室的肉香。盛出一碗，对着厨房里的落地窗，看着缓缓飘下的白雪，一口一口地吃下暖胃的，家乡的味道。

食谱是我曾祖母教给我妈妈，我妈妈再教给我的。这个猪脚醋即使是在马来西亚，做法也很多，和原来广东的猪脚姜都差不多。来到马来西亚，却多了点东南亚的风味。味道更加醇厚了喔！

Vinegar trotter is traditionally eaten as a confinement food, there are various ways to prepare this delicious stew, the Cantonese would use only ginger, brown sugar and black vinegar.

But the Malaysian Chinese does it differently, we add some local ingredients that give this dish some tropical touch!

材料：
猪手两只
黑醋 1.5 杯
添丁甜醋 1.5杯
酱油 1/4杯
黑麻油 1 tsp
清水8杯
片冰糖 1 片
椰糖 1 片
Assam 片 两片 （Optional）
辣椒干 6只 （optional）
老姜两大块
蒜一头

Ingredients：

2 pig trotters (Cut into pieces)

1.5 cup of dark vinegar

1.5 cup of sweet dark vinegar

1/4 cup of light soy sauce

1 tsp of black sesame oil

8 cups of water

1 piece of Rock Sugar in tablet （片冰糖）

1 piece of palm sugar

2 Assam keping (Garcinia atroviridis)（Optional）

6 dried chilli （optional）

2 big pieces of old ginger (around 2-300 gms)

1 head of garlic

1. Asked the butcher to help cutting trotter into big pieces. Soak it in cold water for about half an hour, remove any seen hair, change the water once or twice in between. 

2. Peel the ginger skin and blanch pig trotter in boiling water for about 2 minutes, remove, drain and wash the trotter pieces thoroughly.

3. Add water, dark vinegar and sweet dark vinegar into a deep pot. Smash the old ginger with a butcher knife. Add the whole head of garlic (just remove the outer thin layer of the whole head, leave the skin of clove intact.) into the pot to cook.

4. Bring the mixture to boil, and let it simmer at low heat.

5. At the same time, in a cooking pan/wok， add 1 tsp of sesame oil and the ginger pieces,fry it until the ginger releases fragrant. Add blanched pig trotter and fry for 5 more minutes until the trotter's skin browned.

6. Add the seared trotter pieces and ginger into the simmering vinegar in the pot. Bring to boil, and turn the heat to medium low and cook for 1 more hour.

7. Add rock sugar, palm sugar and soy sauce, cover and cook for another 30-45 minutes.

P/s: If you like to have this dish with egg, you could add hard boiled eggs at the same time when you add sugar and soy sauce and continue cooking.