Lightly Stir-Fried Pork with Green Chilies

Qingjiao Xiaochao Rou (青椒小炒肉)

Thin slices of crispy pork belly and tender pork loin are stir-fried with a mountain of spicy green chilies – the contrasting textures of the pork combined with the smooth heat of the chilies.

This dish is often referred to simply as Lightly Stir-Fried Pork (小炒肉) and is popular throughout China. In fact, a version of Lightly Stir-Fried Pork can be found in most restaurants. Hunan restaurants will often feature a lot of halved garlic cloves and large slices of ginger. Northern and eastern Chinese restaurants will often use milder green chilies but a lot more of them – sometimes to hide the fact they added almost no meat. Not to worry though, because the following Sichuan version has plenty of meat and features a combination of Pork Belly and Pork Loin stir-fried with an abundance of Green Chilies and the perfect amount of Garlic.

The advantage of using two different cuts of pork in this recipe is two-fold. First, Pork Belly and Pork Loin have vastly different, contrasting textures. The Pork Belly, while relatively tender, will develop crispy edges when stir-fried, whereas Pork Loin will remain ultra-tender and flavorful. The second reason to use both is that Pork Belly creates its own oil, as lard will render out of the meat when it’s cooking. The Pork Loin will then be cooked in the rendered oil from the Pork Belly, enhancing its richness and flavor. Nevertheless, Lightly Stir-Fried Pork can be made simply with Pork Belly, and many restaurants prepare it this way. Adding both Pork Belly and Pork Loin will elevate this dish to peak levels.

When preparing this dish, the amount of Green Chilies might seem excessive. However, the amount will thoroughly flavor the meat. The Green Chilies do not need to be eaten, but if you can handle the spiciness, they do pair well with rice. The way in which the Chilies are cooked is meant to deepen the flavor as much as possible. The Chilies are essentially lightly charred similar to Tiger-Skin Green Chilies (虎皮青椒). In fact, you can cook them slightly more than those pictured above. The Chilies should be rather soft and, most importantly, deeply flavored.

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Total Time: 25 min

Serving: 2 - 4 people

Ingredients

150 grams of fatty Pork Belly
100 grams of Pork Loin

Marinade
1 tsp. Egg White
1 tsp. Light Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. White Pepper
2 tsp. Corn Starch
2 Tbsp. Peanut Oil

Chilies
12 – 15 Long Green Chilies (二荆条)
10 Fresh Red Chilies

Aromatics
2 – 3 large cloves of Garlic
1 2-inch block of Ginger

2 Garlic Sprouts (蒜苗)

Peanut Oil

Sauces and Seasonings
1 Tbsp. Oyster Sauce
1 Tbsp. Light Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Dark Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp. White Sugar
1/4 tsp. White Pepper

Directions

1.) Wash off the Pork Belly and the Pork Loin and then pat them dry with paper towels before placing them on a cutting board.

2.) If the Pork Belly has skin, remove it. Slice the Pork Belly as thin as possible and place the slices in a bowl.

3.) Slice the Pork Loin as thin as possible and place it in a separate bowl from the Pork Belly.

(When I say slice it thin, I mean thin! The Pork Belly, especially, should be paper thin. The Pork Loin is a bit more flexible but should also be quite thin. The Pork slices for this dish can be smaller than that of other dishes with each slice only about 1-inch long and 1.5-inches wide, though I prefer them a bit larger than this).

4.) Add the Egg White, Soy Sauce, Salt, and White Pepper to the Pork Loin and mix by hand until the liquid has been absorbed by the meat. Mix in the Corn Starch by hand until every slice is thoroughly coated and then add the Peanut Oil. Allow the Pork Loin to marinate while preparing the other ingredients.

5.) Wash the Green and Red Chilies and cut each Chili as follows, placing all of the Chilies in the same bowl:

• Cut off the top 1/4-inch to remove the stem and thicker part of the core.
• Cut down the length of the Chili at a 45-degree angle, cutting off a wedge.
• Rotate this Chili and cut down again at a 45-degree angle, creating another wedge.
• Continue to rotate and cut the Chili in this manner to create multiple thin wedge-shaped pieces.

6.) Peel, smash, and roughly mince the Garlic and Ginger. Set them aside in a bowl for Aromatics.

7.) Wash the Garlic Sprouts, shake them dry, and smack the white part of the stalks a few times with the side of a cleaver to flatten them. Cut across the Garlic Sprouts at a 45-degree angle at 2-inch intervals creating ear-shaped pieces. Set these pieces aside in their own bowl.

8.) Heat a seasoned wok on medium heat until hot and the Chilies. Stir-fry them for about 2 – 4 minutes until the skin becomes wrinkly and a little charred in some spots. Remove the Chilies, set them aside in a bowl, and clean out the wok.

(This step should be done without added oil in the wok. After you season the wok, there should be a thin layer of oil which will keep the Chilies from sticking. The Chilies will get a similar texture to Tiger-Skin Green Chilies).

9.) Quickly re-season the wok: Add some cheap oil to the wok, heat it until nearly smoking, swirl the hot oil around the wok, and pour out the used oil.

10.) Add the Pork Belly to the hot wok and stir-fry the pieces for 1 minute to render out the excess fat and oil.

11.) Add the marinated Pork Loin to the wok and stir-fry them with the Pork Belly until white and the pieces separate easily.

12.) Add the bowl of Aromatics and stir-fry them with everything for just a few seconds until fragrant. Pull the wok away from heat and add the Sauces and Seasonings (Oyster Sauce, Light Soy Sauce, Dark Soy Sauce, Sugar, and White Pepper). Return the wok to heat and mix everything thoroughly.

13.) Add the fried Chilies and toss them with the Pork until fully combined. Then, add the Garlic Sprouts and stir-fry everything just a few seconds until the greens have softened slightly. Plate the Lightly Stir-Fried Pork with Green Chilies and serve with individual bowls of rice.

 

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