Pig Ear Terrine 豬耳凍

I was a little bit surprised when I read the newspaper last Saturday. In the food section, it featured a recipe and article about a dish using pig's ear. As with recipes including chicken feet, dishes with pig's ear is not popular among Americans. However, it may not be too foreign to you if you are a descendant of Asia. (My American born kids love to have chicken feet, pig ear, tongue, stomach and beef tripe.)



From a cultural point of view, Asians (especially Chinese) generally do not like to waste food. We will consume every part of an animal, from head to tail, literally. Pig's ear is no exception. In nowadays' term, it is called "being green", or "environmentally friendly".
From a nutritionist's point of view, the ear of a pig is full of cartilage and loaded with proteins and collagen. Attention ladies, it is an economical source of getting collagen, not just from pricey swallow's nest!

I made some adjustments to the recipe. Since I don't know my pressure cooker's PSI [pounds (of pressure) per square inch], I cut down the time of the cooking in half. But it still came out too soft for me. If you do not have a pressure cooker, a regular pot or Dutch oven will also do the job with about the same time.

Go to LA Times for the recipe, pictures and video.

I used only 4 pieces of ear instead of 4 pounds

上星期六當我打開英文報紙的副刋, 發現一篇關於豬耳的文章及食譜, 實在有點驚奇, 因為大部份美國人不單對雞腳這些食物望而卻步, 豬耳更加敬而遠之。但對我們亞洲人來講, 這些都是美食呢! (鳳爪、豬耳、脷、肚及牛什是我一對"竹升"子女的至愛)

從文化的角度看, 我們都傾向節儉, 不會輕易浪費食物, 所以無論鷄、牛、羊、豬, 從頭至尾巴, 從外至內, 都不會浪費, 每一部份都會做到一味好菜上桌, 廣東話叫做"食得唔好哂", 現代這種生活形態的新潮叫法是環保、綠色生活。

從營養學的角度, 豬耳是軟骨組織, 含豐富骨膠原及蛋白質, 對皮膚及骨輅有益健康。女仕們注意啦,骨膠原不只是名貴的燕窩才有呀!

原本食譜是用15psi的壓力鍋煲一小時, 但我不知道我的壓力鍋的psi, 所以只煲了半小時, 都已經太軟,差點變爛, 所以如沒有壓力鍋的話,普通的鍋也行。