Twice-Cooked Pork Noodles

Huiguo Rou Mian (回锅肉面)

Twice-cooked pork and green chilies top a bed of fresh noodles resting in a Chengdu-style creamy, spicy sesame sauce with plenty of heat, a touch of sweetness, and a savory finish.

Twice-Cooked Pork Noodles are a must-try Chengdu Noodle Dish. Served at noodle shops in Chengdu alongside the more well-known Dan Dan Noodles (担担面), these incredibly simple and delicious Noodles are a savory, spicy treat. The dish is layered with a base of Spicy Sesame Sauce, a middle of fresh Noodles, and a generous topping of iconic Twice-Cooked Pork.

The actual Twice-Cooked Pork for these Noodles will be a common homestyle version known as Green Chili Twice-Cooked Pork (青椒回锅肉). I don’t provide a separate recipe for this version of Twice-Cooked Pork because the ingredients and cooking process are virtually identical to the classic iteration.

For this Green Chili variation:

• Halve the amount of Garlic Sprouts and add an equal amount of Long Green Chilies (青线椒 or 二荆条).
• Cut all of the Chilies lengthwise on a bias into long strips and cook them at the same time as the Garlic Sprouts.
• After boiling the block Pork, separate the fatty portion from the meaty section and then thinly slice each piece. This will make the slices smaller and a better size for Noodles.
• Add the fatty slices first to the hot wok to render out Oil which will be used to cook the meatier slices.
• Finally, when stir-frying the Pork slices, do not remove any excess Oil from the wok as is commonly done when cooking Twice-Cooked Pork as a main. Instead, allow this excess Oil to create a somewhat soupier sauce.

While Twice-Cooked Pork can be made specifically for this Noodle Dish, it’s quite a bit more economical for the average home cook to simply use leftovers. Cook the Twice-Cooked Pork as a main dish one night and the next day utilize the delicious leftovers for a hearty bowl of Noodles. In this way, the Noodles can be prepared quickly and easily. Noodle shops, obviously, prepare large amounts of Twice-Cooked Pork exclusively as a Noodle Topping. Preparing Twice-Cooked Pork in this manner is great too, especially if wanting to serve the Noodles to multiple people. The only downside is the somewhat time-consuming nature of preparing Twice-Cooked Pork before using it as a Noodle Topping. Regardless, several delicious bowls of Twice-Cooked Pork Noodles can be finished within 45 minutes using good planning and timing.

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 5 min

Total Time: 10 min

Serving: 2 people

Ingredients

1/2 cup Twice-Cooked Pork (About 1/4 cup per Bowl with plenty of Sauce)

Secret Sauce (秘制风味调酱)
1/2 tsp. Sesame Paste
1/2 tsp. Chinese Five-Spice Powder OR Chinese Thirteen-Spice Powder

Mixed Oil (混合油)
1/2 tsp. Lard (Melted)
1/2 tsp. Sesame Oil

Spicy Sesame Sauce (Amount Per Bowl)
1 – 2 Tbsp. Chili Oil with Chili Flakes
1 Tbsp. Sesame Paste
1 Tbsp. Red Soy Sauce (复制酱油)
1 Tbsp. Garlic Slurry
1/2 tsp. Ground Sichuan Pepper
1/4 tsp. MSG
1/4 tsp. Chicken Bouillon Powder
1/4 tsp. Secret Sauce
1/4 tsp. Mixed Oil

400 grams fresh Thick Noodles (粗面; 200 grams per Serving)

Directions

1.) Heat the Twice-Cooked Pork in a small pot and keep it warm while preparing the other ingredients.

2.) Make the Secret Sauce by combining the Sesame Paste and Chinese Five-Spice Powder and then make the Mixed Oil by combining the melted Lard with Sesame Oil.

(The Secret Sauce should be kind of thick; other types of flavored Oil can be used with or in place of Sesame Oil including Scallion Oil and Sichuan Pepper Oil).

3.) Add all of the Spicy Sesame Sauce ingredients (Chili Oil, Sesame Paste, Red Soy Sauce, Garlic Slurry, Sugar, Sichuan Pepper, Salt, and Peanut Butter) to each bowl and mix them until emulsified.

(Optionally, some restaurants will add a small spoonful of Small Scallion 小葱 pieces and a slice or two of Long Green Chilies atop the Sauce after it has been mixed).

4.) Bring a pot of water to a boil and fully cook the Noodles, one serving at a time. Drain the Noodles, shake off any excess water, and add them directly on top of the Spicy Sesame Sauce in one of the bowls. Repeat with the other serving of Noodles.

(The Noodles do not need to be cooled before adding them to the Sauce. The heat from the Noodles will help the Sauce better emulsify and coat the Noodles. However, the Noodles should be served and mixed quickly after being added to the Sauce. The Noodles will stick together and become difficult to mix if they are allowed to cool too much).

5.) Top each bowl of Noodles with about 1/4 cup of Twice-Cooked Pork, ensuring a good amount of meat, green chilies, and sauce are added to the Noodles. Serve the delicious Twice-Cooked Pork Noodles and mix everything together before eating.

 

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