Twice-Cooked Pork (Hui Guo Rou)

Hui Guo Rou is a cornerstone of Sichuan cuisine, originating in Chengdu where it has been served in home kitchens and teahouses for centuries. Pork belly is first simmered whole, then sliced and returned to a blazing wok where it curls into tender, caramelized bites lacquered in a glossy, spicy-savory sauce of doubanjiang and fermented black beans.

Ingredients

600g (1.3 lbs) skin-on pork belly, in one piece

3 slices fresh ginger

2 scallion stalks, tied in a knot

1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine

2 tbsp Pixian doubanjiang (spicy fermented broad bean paste)

1 tbsp douchi (fermented black beans), roughly chopped

1 tbsp sweet bean paste (tianmian jiang)

1 tsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp light soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp neutral oil (such as vegetable or canola oil)

2 medium green bell peppers, cut into 1.5-inch bite-sized pieces

3 stalks leek (white and light green parts only), cut diagonally into 1.5-inch pieces

Instructions

Place the pork belly skin-side down in a medium pot and cover with cold water. Add the ginger slices, knotted scallions, and Shaoxing wine. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming any grey foam that rises to the surface.

Reduce heat to medium-low, cover partially, and simmer the pork belly for 35 to 40 minutes, until a chopstick pierces the thickest part with only slight resistance. The pork should be cooked through but still firm enough to slice cleanly.

Remove the pork belly from the pot and let it cool completely at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. Once cooled, slice it crosswise into pieces approximately 3mm (1/8 inch) thick. The thin slices will curl attractively in the wok.

Heat a wok over high heat until it begins to smoke lightly. Add the neutral oil and swirl to coat. Add the sliced pork belly in a single layer and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until the fat turns translucent and the edges begin to curl and lightly brown. Push the pork to the side of the wok.

Add the doubanjiang and chopped douchi to the cleared center of the wok. Stir-fry the pastes for 60 seconds until fragrant and the oil turns a deep red color from the chili.

Add the sweet bean paste, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, and sugar. Toss everything together to coat the pork evenly in the sauce, stir-frying vigorously for 1 minute.

Add the green bell pepper pieces and leek to the wok. Stir-fry over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, tossing constantly, until the vegetables are just tender-crisp and well coated in the sauce. Do not overcook — the leek should retain a slight bite.

Taste and adjust seasoning with a small pinch of sugar if the doubanjiang is very salty. Transfer immediately to a serving plate and serve hot with steamed white rice.