How to prepare crunchy pork ear roll

This dish has two names: gio xao (stir-fried pork roll) based on the preparation method and gio thu (pork head roll) based on the ingredients, primarily pork head meat like ears and cheeks.

This recipe serves about 6 to 8 people, takes approximately 75 minutes to prepare, and provides around 3,000 calories in total.

Ingredients

- 1 pork ear (400 grams)

- 500 grams pork cheek

- 1/2 pork trotter (400 grams)

- 30 grams of dried wood ear mushrooms

- 2 shallots

- Banana leaf or a stir-fried pork roll mold

- Bamboo strings

- Spices: fish sauce, MSG, crushed pepper, shallots

Instruction

1. Preparation

- Begin by thoroughly shaving the pork ear, pork cheek, and pork trotter.

- Rub the cleaned pork ear, cheek and trotter with lime and salt, ensuring that any undesirable odors are minimized.

- Rinse the meat thoroughly under running water.

After being cleaned, the pork ear, cheek, and trotter reveal their naturally light pink hue. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy

- Blanch the pork ear, cheek, and trotter with crushed shallot and salt. This process helps remove impurities and enhances the fragrance of the meat.

- Thoroughly wash and drain the meat, then slice it thinly.

- Combine all the sliced meat and marinate with 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 3 teaspoons of crushed pepper, and 1 teaspoon of MSG.

- Allow the meat to marinate for at least 30 minutes to infuse the flavors.

Pork ear, cheek, and trotter are sprinkled with black pepper. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy.

- Soak wood ear mushrooms, wash, and cut into 0.5 cm thick pieces.

Sliced, soaked wood ear mushrooms resemble strings of dark brown noodles. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy

2. Cooking process

- Heat a pan over medium heat and add shallots to it.

- Then add the pork ear, cheek, and trotter to the pan with the shallots.

- Stir-fry the meat for about 5 minutes over low heat to prevent sticking.

- Once the meat firms up, increase the heat.

- Stir well to drain any excess moisture or liquids from the ingredients.

When stir-fried, the meat firms up, transforming into a light brown color. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy

- Add the sliced wood ear mushrooms into the stir-fried mixture.

- Stir the mixture for a few minutes, and adjust the seasoning to taste.

- Continue stir-frying the pork mixture until the skin softens and begins to stick.

- Allow the stir-fried meat to cool slightly before wrapping. This helps to release any excess heat, as meat that's too hot may spoil rapidly. On the other hand, if it becomes too cool, the mixture won't be sticky enough, which can make it difficult to shape into a firm roll.

Sautéed meat and wood ear mushrooms with a shiny appearance in the pan. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy

- Heat banana leaves over fire to enhance their flexibility and fragrance, then wash the banana leaves thoroughly.

- Place a few layers of the prepared banana leaves on a flat surface.

- Spoon the stir-fried meat onto the layered banana leaves.

- Roll the banana leaves tightly around the meat, then secure the roll by tying them with bamboo strings.

- After wrapping, press the roll with a heavy object to remove excess fat and ensure a compact shape.

- During cold weather, the roll can be used after half a day of wrapping.

- Alternatively, you can put the roll in the refrigerator to make it firm more quickly.

The pork roll resembles banh tet (cylindrical rice cake), a popular dish during Tet in the southern region. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy

- If available, you can opt for a pork roll mold, especially when making a large batch with limited banana leaves.

- You can line the inside of the mold with heated banana leaves to impart the aroma to the stir-fried roll.

- Transfer the stir-fried meat into the mold. Apply pressure using the handle to compact the mixture into the cylindrical shape.

The cylindrical pork roll mold is often made of stainless steel. Photo by VnExpress/Bui Thuy

3. Finished product

- The stir-fried pork roll presents a well-defined shape, ensuring that each slice holds together in a clean cut

- When eaten, one can savor the crunchy texture from the ear, the fattiness from the cheek, the fish sauce aroma, the spiciness from the pepper, and the subtle fragrance of banana leaves.