Twice Cooked Pork (回锅肉)

Nguyên liệu

• 1 lb uncut pork belly
• 1 thumb ginger (, sliced)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic (, sliced)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Doubanjiang
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorn
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 long hot pepper (, sliced (or other chili pepper you prefer) (*Footnote 1))
• 4 scallions (, cut into 2” (5 cm) pieces)

Cách làm

1. 1

   Cut the pork belly crosswise into 2 to 3 pieces, so it fits your pot. Add the pork belly and ginger to a medium pot. (*Footnote 2) Add cold water to cover the pork by 1” (2.5 cm). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn to medium-low heat and simmer for 30 minutes, until the pork is just cooked through.

2. 2

   Remove the pork from the pot, rinse with cold tap water to remove any impurities from the surface, and place on a plate lined with a few layers of paper towel to cool and drain the extra liquid, until you can handle it with your hands. Thoroughly pat the pork dry with paper towels and slice it into 1/8” (3-mm) thick pieces. Use more paper towels to dry the pork so it causes less splatter during the stir fry.

3. 3

   Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Very carefully lower the pork belly and spread it out with no overlap. Cook, stirring frequently, until the pork turns light golden and some pieces turn golden brown.(*Footnote 3) If the pork starts to splatter too much, turn to medium heat. Use a ladle to remove most of the rendered fat, leaving about 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan. (*Footnote 4)

4. 4

   Add the garlic, doubanjiang, and Sichuan peppercorn. Stir and cook until the pork is evenly coated.

5. 5

   Turn to medium high heat. Add the pepper, scallion, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce and sugar. Stir and cook for 1 minute, until the scallion softens. Transfer everything to a plate. Serve hot over steamed rice as a main dish.