Chinese recipe

Twice-cooked pork

Name: Twice-cooked pork
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 3
Cuisine: Chinese cuisine
Ingredients: 500 g pork belly, one piece; 10 g fresh ginger, sliced; 20 g scallions for simmering; 20 ml neutral cooking oil; 30 g doubanjiang; 10 g fermented black beans, chopped; 60 g green bell pepper, 3 cm strips; 60 g red bell pepper, 3 cm strips; 80 g Chinese garlic chives or leek, 4 cm pieces; 10 ml light soy sauce; 5 ml Shaoxing wine; 3 g granulated sugar; 1 l water for simmering

Pork belly is gently cooked, sliced, and wok-fried with chile bean paste, peppers, and leeks.

Sichuan, China

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 40 min
Total: 1 hr
Servings: 3

Twice-cooked pork with curled pork belly slices, green pepper, garlic chives, and red bean-paste sauce — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by Guilhem VellutSource page · Original file · CC BY 2.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

500 g
pork belly, one piece
10 g
fresh ginger, sliced
20 g
scallions for simmering
20 ml
neutral cooking oil
30 g
doubanjiang
10 g
fermented black beans, chopped
60 g
green bell pepper, 3 cm strips
60 g
red bell pepper, 3 cm strips
80 g
Chinese garlic chives or leek, 4 cm pieces
10 ml
light soy sauce
5 ml
Shaoxing wine
3 g
granulated sugar
1 l
water for simmering

Method

01
Put the pork, ginger, simmering scallions, and water in a pot. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes, until a chopstick enters the thickest part with little resistance and the centre reaches at least 71°C.
02
Transfer the pork to a plate and cool for 10 minutes, then pat dry and slice into 3 mm pieces.
03
Heat a wok over medium-high heat. Add the oil and pork slices; stir-fry for 2–3 minutes until some fat renders and the edges curl, without drying the meat.
04
Push the pork aside. Add doubanjiang and black beans to the oil and fry for 45 seconds until the oil is red and aromatic.
05
Add the bell pepper, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and sugar. Toss for 2 minutes, keeping the pepper just tender.
06
Add the garlic chives or leek and stir-fry for 1 minute until just wilted. Serve hot.

Practical notes

Tips

Cool the boiled pork before slicing; firm meat gives thinner, cleaner slices.
Use a wide wok so rendered fat can coat the paste without pooling around the meat.

Common mistakes

Slicing hot pork makes it crumble and uneven; give it the full 10-minute cooling rest.
Burning the bean paste gives bitterness; keep it moving for 45 seconds and lower the heat if needed.

Substitutions

Use thick-cut pork shoulder if belly is too rich; add 5 ml extra oil before frying.
Green bell pepper can be replaced with celery sticks for a crisp, aromatic variation.

Storage

Refrigerate sealed for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet until steaming hot; the rendered fat may firm when chilled.

Cultural context

Hui guo rou means pork returned to the wok; pre-cooking the pork made it practical to transform leftovers into a richly seasoned second dish.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.