Celebrate Thai New Year with Saba’s slow cooked ham hock

Saba’s Slow Cooked Ham Hock

Serves 2

Ingredients
2 ham hock back legs
30g cinnamon stick
250g preserved green mustard leaves
15g star anis
1.5 litres water for pork
10g five spice powder
100g Thai kale
50g garlic
1 litre cooking oil for deep frying
30g galangal
100ml light soy sauce
30g spring onions
100ml oyster sauce
10g gin sang
10ml dark soy sauce
200g palm sugar
500ml water
50ml honey
50g red bird’s eye chilli
50g red chilli
50g garlic, peeled
20g coriander stalk
100ml white vinegar
80g sugar
1 tsp sea salt

Method
Bring the grill to a high heat. Put the ham hock on the grill until the skin is a nice golden brown colour. Put into cold water to soak for 20 minutes. Clean the skin with a small knife and drain.

Put the oil on a high heat for deep frying. Add the ham hock and deep dry until the skin is crispy. Put the ham hock to one side.

Add 1.5 litres of water in a large pot. Add the ham hock and season with soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, palm sugar, honey and five spice. Bring to a medium heat. Place the spices and vegetables into a small cloth. Tie the cloth and add this to the pot with the ham hock. Bring it to the boil and simmer for 2 hours or until pork hock is tender.

While the ham hock is cooking, you can prepare the sour green mustard leaves. Add 500ml of water to a pot with the sour green mustard leaves. Bring to the boil, simmer for 30 minutes and drain.

Using the same pot, add the sauce from cooking the ham hock. Bring to the boil and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Prepare the dressing for ham hock. Add the bird’s eye chilli, red chilli, coriander, vinegar, sugar and salt in a blender and press until they are well mixed but not too fine. Keep to one side.

Blanch the Thai kale in the sauce until cooked but still crunchy. Cut and serve on a plate, adding the cooked sour green mustard leaves on the side. Add half the ham hock and vegetables. Pour the sauce on top.

Best accompanied with chilli garlic dressing and Thai Jasmine rice.

Thai New Year runs April 13-15 and Saba and Saba To Go will be ringing in the Thai New Year Songkran April 11-21 with authentic dishes and exciting giveaways. For details and bookings, visit sabadublin.com.

#SabaThaiNY