Twice-Cooked Pork, or hui guo rou, is one of the most beloved Sichuan home-style dishes. The name comes from the cooking method — the pork is first boiled, then sliced and stir-fried again with a savory bean paste.
I still remember the first time I tried this dish at a small Sichuan restaurant in Hong Kong. The aroma of sizzling pork belly with chili bean paste was irresistible — smoky, spicy, and mouthwatering. Later, when I started making it at home, I realized how comforting it feels to watch the thin slices of pork curl in the hot wok, soaking up the bright red sauce.
Now, when I cook Twice-Cooked Pork in my Canadian kitchen, it carries me back to those busy Hong Kong evenings, where sharing a fragrant plate of hui guo rou with rice felt like pure happiness around the dinner table.
Twice-Cooked Pork
Ingredients
Steps
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Boil the pork
Place pork belly into a pot of cold water with ginger slices and a splash of rice wine. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes until the pork is just cooked through. Remove, let cool, and slice thinly (about 2 mm thick).
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Prepare the aromatics
Cut the leek into sections, separating the white and green parts. Mince the ginger and garlic.
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Stir-fry the pork
Heat a little oil in a wok. Add the sliced pork belly and stir-fry over medium heat until fragrant. Add the minced garlic and ginger, then stir in the doubanjiang until the meat is evenly coated.
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Add the leeks
First add the white parts of the leek and stir-fry briefly. Season with light soy sauce. Finally, toss in the green parts of the leek and stir-fry quickly until just bright green.
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Serve
Mix everything well, then plate while the leeks are still fresh and green.
Cooking Tips 烹飪技巧
- Boiling the pork before slicing makes it tender and allows it to soak up the flavors when stir-fried.
- Pork belly with skin works best, giving a bouncy, chewy texture.
