Kitchen Recipe Collection
Twice Cooked Pork (Hui Guo Rou)
A legendary Sichuan dish. Pork belly is boiled, chilled, sliced thin, and stir-fried until the fat renders, tossed with leeks and savory chili bean paste.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 60 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- medium
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Ingredients
Scaled for 4 servings
- 400g skin-on pork belly (in one block)
- 2 large Chinese leeks (or green garlic/scallions), cut diagonally into 2-inch pieces
- 1 tbsp Doubanjiang (Sichuan chili bean paste)
- 1 tbsp Tianmianjiang (Sweet bean sauce)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 slices ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- Sichuan peppercorns (for boiling)
Equipment
- Pot for boiling
- Wok
Instructions
- 1
Boil Pork
Place the whole block of pork belly in a pot with water, ginger, and a few Sichuan peppercorns. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until cooked through.
- 2
Cool Pork Completely
Remove the pork and let it cool completely. You can place it in the fridge for 30 minutes; cold pork is much easier to slice.
- 3
Slice Thinly
Using a sharp knife, slice the cold pork belly into very thin, wide pieces (about 1/8 inch thick).
- 4
Prepare Leeks
Wash and slice the leeks diagonally. Separate the thicker white parts from the green leaves.
- 5
Prepare Sauces
Have the Doubanjiang, sweet bean sauce, and sugar ready by the stove.
- 6
Heat Wok
Heat a wok over medium heat with just 1 tsp of oil to prevent sticking.
- 7
Render Pork Fat
Add the pork belly slices. Fry them slowly until the fat renders out and the slices begin to curl up into distinct 'cups'.
- 8
Sauté Aromatics
Push the pork to the side. In the rendered fat, add the garlic and ginger slices.
- 9
Fry the Pastes
Add the Doubanjiang and sweet bean sauce to the fat. Fry for 30 seconds until the oil turns red and fragrant.
- 10
Toss Pork
Toss the pork slices back into the center, coating them completely in the red sauce. Add soy sauce, wine, and sugar.
- 11
Add Leeks
Add the leek whites first and toss for 30 seconds, then add the green parts and toss until just wilted.
- 12
Serve
Remove from heat and serve immediately. It is heavily flavored and meant to be eaten with plenty of rice.
Cooking Tips
- Do not skip the boiling step! Boiling the pork first is why it is 'twice cooked'. It alters the texture of the fat, making it chewy and crisp rather than greasy.
- Frying the chili bean paste in oil is essential to unlock its color and flavor.
Variations
- Add Cabbage: Some variations add chunks of green cabbage alongside the leeks.
- Green Garlic: In Sichuan, this is traditionally made with green garlic (suan miao) instead of leeks.
Nutrition Estimate
480 calories · 18g protein · 8g carbs · 42g fat · 2g fiber per serving
