Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Sichuan Twice-Cooked Pork
四川回鍋肉
Recipe overview
Twice-cooked pork means pork belly is first simmered until about 70–80 percent cooked, cooled and sliced, then returned to the wok. This lighter home version renders only a little fat and stir-fries the slices with doubanjiang, fermented black beans, garlic sprouts and peppers.
01
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 500 g, whole piece Skin-on pork belly
- 150 g Garlic sprouts
- 120 g Green bell pepper
- 60 g Red bell pepper
- 20 g Ginger
- 2 Scallions
Pork simmering
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
Twice-cooked seasoning
- 2 tbsp Pixian doubanjiang
- 1 tbsp Fermented black beans
- 2 tsp Light soy sauce
- 1 tsp Sugar
Stir-fry oil
- 1 tsp Neutral cooking oil
02
Tools
- Chef's knife and board
- Chef's knife and board
- Medium pot and deep wok
- Medium pot and deep wok
- Spatula, ladle or tongs
- Spatula, ladle or tongs
- Spatula, ladle or tongs
- Large and small bowls, skimmer
- Large and small bowls, skimmer
- Large and small bowls, skimmer
- Measuring spoons and serving plate
- Measuring spoons and serving plate
03
Steps
Step 1
Prepare pork belly
Pat dry the whole belly and prepare ginger, scallion and wine; keep raw-pork tools separate.
Step 2
Start in cold water
Cover pork by 2–3 cm with water, ginger, scallion and wine; heat medium-high until it starts boiling.
Step 3
Simmer partly cooked
Skim and gently simmer 15–18 minutes until a skewer enters with slight resistance.
Step 4
Cool pork
Lift onto a clean plate or rack and cool 10 minutes until safe to slice.
Step 5
Slice thinly
Slice cooled belly 2–3 mm thin, keeping skin, fat and lean together.
Step 6
Cut vegetables
Separate garlic-sprout whites and greens; slice peppers and chop large black beans.
Step 7
Render pork
Heat wok medium, add 1 tsp oil and render slices 3–4 minutes until fat is translucent and edges curl.
Step 8
Fry doubanjiang
Push pork aside; medium-low heat fry doubanjiang and black beans 30–45 seconds until fragrant red oil appears.
Step 9
Coat pork
Mix pork with sauce, soy and sugar over medium heat until lightly red and glossy.
Step 10
Add peppers and whites
Stir-fry peppers and garlic-sprout whites over medium-high 1–1.5 minutes.
Step 11
Add greens
Add garlic-sprout greens and toss 30–45 seconds until bright and just tender.
Step 12
Taste and plate
Taste off heat; usually no extra salt is needed. Plate immediately; pork must be fully cooked.
Common mistakes
- Over-simmering pork makes it dry later.
- Thick slices are greasy.
- Adding sauce before rendering fat is heavy.
- Burnt doubanjiang is bitter.
- Early garlic sprouts turn yellow.
- Extra salt makes it too salty.
Tips
Cool pork before slicing; chilling 10–15 minutes helps. Use 1.5 tbsp doubanjiang for less heat. Garlic sprouts give the key flavour. Wash raw-pork tools and never use an unwashed raw-pork plate for cooked food.
