A specialty of Anshun's Tunpu communities, this trotter is first deep-fried in two stages until the skin blisters gold and crisps, then plunged into cold water before being slow-braised in a house-made numbing-spicy broth of green chili, tomato, and pork bone stock. The frying creates thousands of micro-pores that draw the broth deep into the flesh, producing a trotter that is simultaneously crispy, yielding, and richly soup-laden.
Rooted in the Tunpu (屯堡) settlements of Anshun, Guizhou, whose residents are descended from Ming Dynasty military colonists relocated to the southwest frontier roughly 600 years ago under the 'Diao Bei Zheng Nan' campaign. The dish reflects the Tunpu emphasis on robust, spice-forward cooking suited to a damp highland climate, with the principle of using chili in place of salt. In March 2022 it was inscribed in the Xixiu District Intangible Cultural Heritage Registry, and in July 2024 it was named one of the Ten Landmark Dishes of Guizhou Province by the provincial culinary and restaurant industry association.
The skin shatters in a dry crackle, then gives way to pillowy braised flesh; broth floods your mouth with each bite — numbing from Sichuan peppercorn, bright and grassy from green chili.
Two-stage deep-frying first drives off surface moisture at low heat (~140°C), then a high-heat blast (~180°C) causes trapped steam to expand rapidly, forming a dense network of micro-pores (while Maillard browning develops the golden crust). A cold-water plunge immediately contracts the outer layers, enlarging those pores. During the subsequent slow braise, capillary pressure and osmotic equalization pull the flavored broth deep into the collagen matrix; sustained heat above 60°C accelerates collagen hydrolysis into gelatin, the molecular source of the silky, mouth-coating richness.
Variations
Some Anshun cooks use pork tails (灌汤猪尾) rather than trotters for a higher collagen-to-fat ratio and a firmer, springier chew. A milder version replaces green chili with dried red chili and omits Sichuan peppercorn for diners with a lower heat tolerance.
On the Palate
Where Tunpu Soup-Filled Trotter sits in the Chinese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 3
How it's made
7 steps · 20 min
- 15 min
Singe any remaining hairs from the trotters; blanch in boiling water with ginger for 5 minutes; drain and pat dry.
- 215 min
Deep-fry trotters in oil at approximately 140°C over low heat for 15 minutes, turning occasionally, until lightly rendered and pale golden.
Watch outKeep the oil around 140°C so the skin renders and dries slowly — too hot now and it browns before the fat inside melts, blocking the pores you need.
- 35 min
Increase oil temperature to approximately 180°C; fry trotters for 5 minutes until skin blisters and turns a deep golden brown.
Watch outFry hard until the skin blisters into little bubbles and turns deep gold — that raised, pocked surface is what soaks up broth later.
- 430 min
Transfer trotters immediately to a basin of cold water; soak for 30 minutes, allowing the blistered skin to absorb water and swell.
Watch outPlunge straight into cold water while still sizzling; the sudden chill shrinks the crust and pops the pores open — skip this and the skin stays tight and won't drink the sauce.
- 55 min
Heat a wok over high heat; stir-fry garlic, ginger, fermented chili paste, green chili sections, and tomato until fragrant.
- 65 min
Pour in pork bone stock and bring to a boil; add the drained trotters and season with salt.
- 760 min
Add Sichuan peppercorn; reduce to a medium-low simmer; cover and cook for 60 minutes until trotters are tender and deeply broth-infused.
Watch outHold a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil — steady low heat over an hour melts the collagen to gelatin for that silky, sticky-lipped richness.