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What You Need:
(To Serve: 6 to 8 as main course or 8 to 10 as Chinese Meal)
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6 dried Chinese mushrooms, 1 to 1½ inches in diameter
A 4- to 5-pound fresh pork picnic shoulder with the rind left on
2 tablespoons light or dark rock candy, broken into ¼-inch pieces, or 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ cup Chinese rice wine, or pale dry sherry
2 cups cold water
2 scallions, including the green tops, cut in 3-inch lengths
½ cup soy sauce
1 whole star anise or 8 sections of star anise
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Translate this recipe:
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| How To Cook: |
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PREPARE AHEAD:
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1. In a small bowl, cover the mushrooms with ½ cup at warm water and let them soak for 30 minutes.
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2. Remove them with a slotted spoon and discard the water. With a cleaver or sharp knife, cut away and discard the tough stems of the mushrooms, and leave the caps whole.
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TO COOK:
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1. Place the pork shoulder in a heavy pot or saucepan just large enough to hold it snugly. To blanch the pork, add enough cold water to cover it by 2 inches and, over high heat, bring the water to a boil.
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2. Let it boil briskly for 5 minutes, then transfer the meat from the pot to a colander and run hot tap water over it. Discard the cooking water and replace the meat in the pot.
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3. Add the soy sauce, star anise, rock candy, wine, scallions and 2 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil and cover the pot. Reduce the heat to low and cook the meat for about 3 hours, adjusting the heat to keep the liquid at a simmer and turning the meat over 2 or 3 times during the cooking period.
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4. Then add the soaked mushrooms and cook 30 minutes longer. There should be about 1 cup of liquid left when the meat has finished cooking. If there is more, cook uncovered until the liquid is reduced.
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5. Traditionally, the meat is served by transferring it to a deep platter and pouring the cooking juices over it. Decorate the cooked shoulder with the mushrooms.
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6. The rind and pork should be soft enough to be pulled off the bone with chopsticks or a fork. Less traditionally, the bone may be removed from the shoulder, and the meat (with the rind on) carved into slices and the sauce poured over it.
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