1. Use a butter knife or a peeler to peel off fresh ginger roots. Then, rinse or wash it.
2. After that, use the side of the knife to smash the ginger, break it down a little bit. This can help ginger absorb the sweetened black vinegar. Or, some people like to cut ginger into slices. Personally, I like it in chunks.
3. Next, put the peeled ginger from step 2 into the wok and turn on medium small fire. Stir fry the ginger until it is dry and slightly browned. The purpose of this step is to dry the ginger. Remember don’t add oil to stir fry the ginger.
4. The following step, transfer the stir fried ginger from step 3 into the clay pot.
5. Pour Pat Chun sweetened black vinegar in the pot. Cover the lid and turn on the fire to medium and let it cook until it's boiling. Then, turn the fire to small and simmer for at least 2 hours.
6. I reheat the ginger with the black vinegar until it is boiling and don’t open the lid. Then, turn off the fire. Just leave it on the stove, I repeat this step for 7-14 days.
7. When the ginger is ready and not that spicy, pour water into the wok and turn on high fire. Let the water boil.
8. Put pork knuckles/ trotter (pig feet) into the boiling water. Let it cook until it's boiling again.
9. Drain and rinse the pork knuckles.
10. After that, put the boiled pork knuckles into the ginger black vinegar stew. Cover the lid and turn on medium fire until it's boiling. Then, turn the fire to small and simmer for 30 minutes.
11. Meanwhile, pour water into the instant pot and put in a rack. Then, place 12 eggs on the rack. Close the lid and vent, push the manual button to adjust time for 2 minutes at high pressure and naturally release the pressure.
12. When the eggs are done, put the eggs into the ice bath.
13. Peel off the hard boiled eggs and put them into a bowl.
14. After cooking the pork knuckles for 30 minutes, open the lid.