Twice Cooked Pork (回锅肉), is a classic Sichuan dish of spicy seared pork belly, that every family can cook and has become famous and popular across most parts of China. This is my favorite dish to cook and order whenever I go to a Sichuan restaurant.
Ingredients
500g Pork Belly
1 green onion
1oz Sichuan peppercorn
1 small bunch garlic sprout (can be replaced with leek or cabbage), end removed and cut into pieces
2 long red chili peppers
1 inch scallion stalk, cut into small pieces
1/2 thumb ginger, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tablespoon fermented Sichuan bean paste (Spicy or non-spicy)
2 teaspoons dou-chi (fermented black beans): optional
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
Instructions
1. Place pork belly in a large pot with enough cold water to cover. Add 1 green onion, sliced ginger, and 1oz Sichuan peppercorn seeds (this will add on extra flavor to the pork). Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Transfer out and set aside to cool down. You can submerge in cold water. Or I usually put it in the freezer for 30min, so it’s easy to cut the pork belly into thin slices.
2. Smash the head of garlic sprouts and then cut the head part and leaves into 1.5 inch sections. Remove the seeds of red pepper and cut into pieces. Or you can use a grinder to mince the peppercorns.
3. Heat up around 1 teaspoon of oil in wok, or use an oil spray (Do NOT use too much, otherwise the dish might be a bit greasy), keep at medium-heat, fry the pork belly with gentle stir, until they begin to loose oil and slightly brown. Add minced garlic, sliced ginger, minced scallions, and peppercorns, keep stirring. Fry for a longer time can reduce the oil. If the pork belly is more of lean meat, do not over-fry it. I personally like it to be a bit crispy, so I tend to fry it a bit longer until both most of the slices turn brown. Add fermented bean paste and black beans, keep stirring for another 2-3 min.
4. Add red pepper, garlic cloves (leek or cabbage) Leek is very easy to find locally. Turn to high-heat, fry for another 2-3 minutes. Add light soy sauce, mix well and transfer out immediately.
5. Enjoy with steamed rice.
