Twice-Cooked Pork

Huiguo Rou (回锅肉)

Thin slices of pork are double cooked by first boiling the meat with ginger and scallion and then stir-frying the slices with fragrant garlic sprouts and spicy red chilies.

The classic version of Twice-Cooked Pork is also known as Twice-Cooked Pork with Garlic Sprouts (蒜苗回锅肉). Garlic Sprouts are the standard aromatic for this dish. Garlic Sprouts, also known as green garlic, are the stalks of a young garlic plant with long green leaves that resemble Scallion. However, the flavor is far milder than Scallion or even Garlic Cloves. The Garlic Sprouts commonly used in China are usually harvested before cloves form. However, in the US, Garlic Sprouts are harvested after a bulb has formed. If your Garlic Sprouts have this bulb, it won’t affect the flavor of the green stalks which are the key to this dish.

If you have no access to Garlic Sprouts, Scallion is an option – albeit a poor substitution as the oniony flavor can be quite strong. Slices of Red and Green Bell Pepper can also be added for more of a home-style (家常) version known as Double-Pepper Twice-Cooked Pork (双椒回锅肉). Green Chili Twice-Cooked Pork (青椒回锅肉) appears quite similar to Lightly Stir-Fried Pork and Green Chilies (青椒小炒肉), but maintains the classic flavor of Twice-Cooked Pork. This variation is essential for Twice-Cooked Pork Noodles (回锅肉面), a popular Chengdu Tossed Noodle Dish. For this variation, simply halve the amount of Garlic Sprouts, use at least 6 Long Green Chilies (青线椒), and slice all of the Chilies lengthwise on a bias.

When it comes to the cut of Pork, there are two viable options: Hind Quarter and Pork Belly. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

• Hind Quarter is easier to cook less oily, but if it's not sliced thin enough or cooked improperly, it can be rather tough.
• Pork Belly is easier to cook, but also can be a lot fattier and more oily than Hind Quarter.

In fact, many restaurants outside of Sichuan use Pork Belly, because the chefs either lack the skill or the patience to slice the meat thinly enough. If you have access to a meat slicer or you have the skill to slice pork extremely thin, definitely use Hind Quarter because it will have the perfect balance of fat and meat. The perfect piece of Hind Quarter will be about 3-inches thick from skin to meat and about 2-inches wide. Also, it will have a nice thick layer of fat – about 50% fat and 50% meat. This may seem like a lot, but much of this fat will be render out when cooking. The meat will curl with crispy, little edges and remain super tender.

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 35 min

Total Time: 45 min

Serving: 4 people

Ingredients

500 grams Pork Hindquarter OR Pork Belly (Preferably with Skin)

Boiling Ingredients
1/4 cup Shaoxing Rice Wine
2 4-inch white stalks of Scallion
1 2-inch block of Ginger (Smashed)
1 Tbsp. Green Sichuan Peppercorns

Aromatics and Chilies
6 – 10 Pickled Red Chilies
4 cloves of Garlic
1 2-inch block of Ginger

4 stalks of Garlic Sprouts

Sauce
1 Tbsp. Water
1 tsp. Sweet Bean Sauce (甜面酱)
1 tsp. Dark Soy Sauce

Peanut Oil

1 tsp. Fermented Black Beans (豆豉)
1 Tbsp. Sichuan Chili Bean Paste (豆瓣酱)

Seasonings
1/2 tsp. Chinkiang Black Vinegar
1/4 tsp. Sugar
1/4 tsp. MSG

Directions

1.) Heat a wok on high until searing hot. Press the skin of the Pork against the hot metal to char and blacken it. When the skin is evenly charred, place the Pork in a bowl of cold water. Use a steel wool or a wire brush to remove the char and clean the skin.

(This step is extremely important for removing the slight bitterness of the skin and ensuring a good texture).

2.) Fill a wok or large pot with 3 liters of water and add the Pork along with the Boiling Ingredients (Rice Wine, Scallion, Ginger, and Sichuan Peppercorns).

(These Boiling Ingredients are the essentials and other Aromatics like a stick of Cassia Bark, a whole Star Anise, or even a smashed clove of Garlic could be used).

3.) Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the Pork for about 30 minutes or until a chopstick can easily be inserted into the thickest part of the Pork. While the Pork is simmering, prepare the other ingredients.

4.) Prepare the Aromatics and Chilies, setting them together in the same bowl:

• Cut the Red Chilies into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Peel and thinly slice the Garlic.
• Peel the Ginger, by cutting it into a small block. At both the front and back of this block, cut down across it at a 45-degree angle. Then, thinly slice the Ginger to create rhombus-shaped pieces.

5.) Smash the Garlic Sprouts flat with the side of a cleaver and slice them at a 45-degree angle to create 2-inch-long 'horse-ear' shaped pieces. Place these pieces in their own seperate bowl.

6.) Prepare the Sauce by combing the Sweet Bean Paste and the Dark Soy Sauce with the Water and mixing them until smooth.

7.) When the Pork has finished simmering, place it in a bowl of cold water to cool it quickly. Then, pat it dry thoroughly with a towel.

(It's extremely important that the Pork is as dry as possible so that oil won't splash later).

8.) Set the Pork on a cutting board with the skin facing you and slice it as thinly as possible, preferably less than an 1/8-inch thick. Set the Pork slices aside in a bowl.

(Professional Sichuan chefs slice the Pork only 2 milometers thick. If the Pork is sliced too thick, the meat will taste too fatty and oily, so use take your time with this and be precise).

9.) Heat a seasoned wok on medium-high with about 1/4 cup of Peanut Oil. When hot add the Pork slices and stir-fry them for about 1 minute.

(If a lot of oil renders out of the Pork, the excess oil can be removed with a ladle so that no more than 1/4 cup of oil remains in the wok).

10.) Add the Black Beans and stir-fry them with the Pork just a few seconds until fragrant. Pull the wok away from heat, add the Sichuan Chili Bean Paste, and stir-fry them off of heat for just a moment. Return the wok to heat and toss the Pork slices in the Chili Bean Paste until every piece is thoroughly coated.

11.) Pull the wok away from heat, add the bowl of Aromatics, return the wok to heat, and stir-fry everything for about 30 seconds until extremely fragrant.

12.) Splash the Sauce around the sides of the wok and toss the meat into it for just a few seconds until fully combined.

13.) Pull the wok away from the heat and add the Seasonings (Vinegar, Sugar, and MSG) along with the Garlic Sprouts. Return the wok to heat and stir-fry everything for about 30 seconds until fully mixed.

14.) Spoon the delicious Twice-Cooked Pork with Garlic Sprouts onto a plate and serve with individual bowls of white rice.

 

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