Yibin White Lotus Twice-Cooked Pork

Yibin Lian Bai Huiguo Rou (宜宾莲花白回锅肉)

Thin slices of delicious pork belly are stir-fried with cabbage, garlic sprouts, and scallion in a searing-hot wok until the dish is full of Yibin’s iconic fragrant, salty, and umami flavor.

The White Lotus in the name of this dish isn’t quite what you would expect. It actually refers to Cabbage, which is colloquially referred to as White Lotus in the city of Yibin. Dutch Cabbage, commonly known as Green Cabbage, somewhat resembles an unopened lotus blossom – the ball is whitish with just a hint of green and the leaves swirl around the surface like a young flower. The stir-fried Cabbage has an almost natural sweetness that really shines in this dish among the typical salty-umami and fragrant-spicy flavors.

Yibin Twice-Cooked Pork is quite different from other more common versions. Usually, Twice-Cooked Pork is made with a combination of Chili Bean Paste, Sweet Bean Paste, and Fermented Black Beans. These incorporate salty, umami, and spicy elements into the dish. Yibin Twice-Cooked Pork, contrarily, omits these in favor of a simpler salty-umami flavor. These stem from proper seasoning along with the sour-spicy flavor of Pickled Chilies and the fragrant flavor of Garlic Sprouts and Scallion. While the flavors may seem simpler, they are nonetheless balanced and delicious.

Overall, Yibin Twice-Cooked Pork is quite easy to make. The main challenge lies in slicing the Pork. The Pork needs to sliced evenly and as thinly as possible. Aim for 1/8-inch-thick or slightly less. If you have a meat slicer, this will work wonders and save a lot of time. Otherwise, just take your time and be patient. Thinly sliced Pork will have better flavor and texture. The Pork itself should be quite fatty. Hindquarter is ideal but the exact cut may be difficult to find outside of an Asian butcher shop. It’s a pork chop from the rear with clear layer of fat and meat – about half fat and half meat. Pork shoulder chop (not Boston butt) is another viable option as is Pork Belly.

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 35 min

Total Time: 45 min

Serving: 2 - 4 people

Ingredients

400 grams Pork Hindquarter (Preferably with Skin)

Boiling Ingredients
1/2 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
1/4 - 1/2 head of Cabbage
1 stalk of Garlic Sprouts
1 green stalk of Small Scallion (小葱)

Sauces
1 tsp. Chicken Stock (Low Sodium/ No Salt)
1 tsp. Light Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp. Chinkiang Black Vinegar

Peanut Oil

Seasonings
1/4 tsp. Sugar
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Chicken Bouillon Powder
1/4 tsp. MSG
Brightening Oil
1/4 tsp. Scallion Oil

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 Pickled 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.) Prepare the 1/4 head of Cabbage:

• Remove the tough inner core at the base of the Cabbage.
• Separate all of the leaves.
• Tear away the soft parts of each leaf leaving behind the tough stem. (The stems can be discarded or pickled). Try to keep the torn leaves in large pieces.
• Set the hand-torn pieces of Cabbage in a large bowl.

6.) Smash the Garlic Sprouts and Scallion 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 the pieces together in a bowl.

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 take your time with this step and be precise).

9.) Heat a seasoned wok on medium-high heat 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.) 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.

11.) Add the hand-torn Cabbage leaves and stir-fry them with the Pork slices and Aromatics for about 30-seconds until the leaves have just softened.

12.) Splash the Sauces (Chicken Stock, Soy Sauce, and Vinegar) around the sides of the wok and toss everything together for a few seconds until fully combined and the Cabbage leaves have fully cooked.

13.) Pull the wok away from heat and add the Seasonings (Sugar, Salt, Chicken Bouillon Powder, and MSG) along with the Garlic Sprouts and Scallion. Return the wok to heat and stir-fry everything for about 10 seconds until fully mixed.

14.) Splash in the Brightening Oil, toss once more, and then spoon the delicious Yibin White Lotus Twice-Cooked Pork onto a plate. Serve immediately with individual bowls of white rice.

 

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