Twice-Cooked Pork (Hui Guo Rou)

Method

1. Put the pork belly in a 18 cm pot, cover it with cold water and add the ginger, spring onion and Shaoxing wine. Bring to the boil on high heat, about 6 min, skim off the foam, then turn down to medium-low heat and simmer for 22 min. It's done when a chopstick slides easily into the thickest part and the juices run clear; if they're pink, simmer for 5 minutes more and check again.

   Add in this stepSkin-on pork belly, in one piece 300 gGinger slices 3Spring onion (for simmering) 1Shaoxing rice wine 1 tbsp

   high heat→medium-low heat

2. Lift out the pork and let it cool for 15 min. Warm pork crumbles when sliced, so wait until it feels firm. Slice it 2–3 mm thick so every slice has skin, fat and lean meat.

3. Cut the welsh onion on the diagonal into 4 cm pieces, keeping the white and green parts separate, and cut the pepper into bite-sized pieces. Slice the garlic thinly, rinse the black beans and chop them roughly. The stir-fry moves fast, so have all the seasonings within reach.

4. Heat a 26 cm wok or frying pan, add the oil and spread the pork in a single layer. Fry on medium-high heat for 4 min, until the fat turns translucent, the edges brown and the slices curl into little cups (Sichuan cooks call this the lamp-dish shape). Pat the pork dry first so the oil doesn't spit.

   Add in this stepNeutral oil 1½ tbsp

   medium-high heat

5. Push the pork to one side and turn the heat down to medium heat. Fry the chilli bean paste in the oil in the empty space for 45 sec, until the oil turns red and fragrant, then add the black beans, sweet bean sauce and garlic and fry for about 20 seconds more. Bean paste burns easily, so don't let the heat creep up.

   Add in this stepChilli bean paste (doubanjiang, ideally Pixian) 1½ tbspFermented black beans (douchi) 1½ tspSweet bean sauce (tianmianjiang) 1½ tspGarlic cloves 3

   medium heat

6. Toss the pork through the sauce and add the sugar and soy sauce. Turn the heat up to high heat, add the pepper and the white parts of the onion and stir-fry for 1 min 30 sec, then add the greens and turn off the heat as soon as they wilt slightly and turn bright. Serve with hot rice.

   Add in this stepSugar 1 tspLight soy sauce 1 tspGreen bell pepper 1Welsh onion or leek (traditionally green garlic) 120 g

   high heat