Units Scale

1 pig’s trotter – between 2 1/2 and 2 3/4 pounds
Between 2 1/2 and 2 3/4 pounds old ginger (yes, you read that amount right), skinned, cut into pieces and smashed lightly (TFD note – old ginger is exactly that, the typical stuff you get in the supermarket, do NOT use actual OLD ginger, this is just a Chinese term to differentiate it from ‘young’ ginger, which is harvested early)
4 tbsp sesame oil (TFD note – I prefer Kadoya brand)
Slightly more than 3 1/3 cups Aged Chinese black vinegar (TFD note – do NOT use Sweetened Black Vinegar in this recipe!)
6 1/3 cups bottled water
Slightly more than 1 1/4 -1 2/3 cups brown sugar (adjust sweetness to your liking) (TFD note – if you can find it, use Chinese black sugar (actually closer to brown than black)
hardboiled eggs in shell, to taste
1 tbsp. or more to taste of Chartreuse élixir végétal – optional, TFD addition

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Clean and pluck hair of trotters (if there are any). Cut into big chunks. Blanch trotters in boiling hot water, drain.
Heat sesame oil and fry ginger till fragrant.
Add ginger and oil and put into a clay pot. Add vinegar, water and brown sugar.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 – 30 mins or until ginger is soft.
Add pig’s trotter pieces and continue to simmer till meat is tender, about 2 hours.
Add hardboiled eggs and élixir végétal half an hour before serving – crack the shells all over lightly but completely to enable a marbled effect when peeled (note – this is a TFD affectation, and not in the original recipe).
This should be served to the new mother for at least 1 month or preferably 40 days – repeat the recipe as needed and add to the leftovers (important – there should always be some leftover added to the new batch of stew) and reheat, as it gets more and more nutritious over the 30 days (as well as delicious).