Pork leg is at the back of the pig. It is referred to as εθ Ώθ in Chinese, whose literal meaning is the meat in the back leg.
It is often used for making cured meat like:
- Ham, so it is also called leg ham, or just ham;
- Chinese smoked meat (θ θ).
It is further divided into the following cuts (mostly in Chinese context):
- The upper part is called round, θε°θ in Chinese, whose literal meaning is the hip tip.
- The lower part is called εθθ in Chinese, whose literal meaning is the sitting hip. It has a better-known name δΊεθ, which is βsecond knife meatβ, reflecting the fact that it is the second part of the leg after the round when the butcher cut the meat with knives. The term is generally seen in recipe videos in Chinese, especially for making ει θ (twice-cooked pork).
Classic Dishes
Chinese
- Twice-Cooked Pork (ει θ): a classic Sichuan dish. Preferably use the lower part of pork leg (δΊεθ). Boil the pork leg, slice it, then stir-fry with garlic sprouts, garlic, ginger, fermented soy beans. The sauce includes Sichuan soybean paste (εε·θ±η£ι ±), soy sauce and sweet flour sauce (ηι’ι ±).
- Sliced Pork with Garlic Sauce (θζ³₯η½θ): a Sichuan dish. Boil the pork leg, slice it very thinly, then serve with garlic sauce, which is a mixture of minced garlic and soy sauce.