Twice cooked pork (sometimes also referred to as double-cooked pork belly, or Hui Guo Rou ) is a dish from Sichuan cuisine that is very popular in China. It is made with pork belly that is first cooked in water until almost cooked, then for the second stir-frying process, the slices are fried with garlic sprouts, green peppers, and some of the most important Sichuan seasonings. Since it is slightly salty so should be served with plain rice and noodles.

twice cooked pork Belly|chinasichuanfood.com

What’s twice-cooked pork

Twice cooked pork is a classic Sichuan dish cooked with a unique Sichuan cooking method- double cooking or Hui Guo (回锅). So the other name for this dish is doubled-cooked pork or Hui Guo Rou.

The origins of twice-cooked pork are believed to date back to the Song Dynasty when this pork is mainly cooked as a savory but not spicy one. Along with the importing of chili pepper and the creation of doubanjiang, twice-cooked pork was formed as a spicy and savory stir-frying dish and it obtained great popularity since then.

It will go through two stages of cooking.

  1. Firstly, large chunks of pork belly are braised in clean water for around 20 to 30 minutes until soft and well-cooked.
  2. Then it is sliced thinly and stir-fried with seasonings and side ingredients.

So the name “twice cooked pork belly ” is after the cooking method, quite similar to Sichuan water-boiled dishes or dry frying dishes like Sichuan dry frying green beans.

Why do we twice cook?

It is a very traditional way of cooking pork belly with this method, so it seems not to be a question. But why do we cook pork belly twice? I get some of my inspiration.

Pork belly needs a longer cooking time, compared with other cuts. So, if we cook it directly, the overlong cooking process may turn the pork into something dry and quite hard to chew. Cooking it first can shorten the stir-frying process to an acceptable time and thus creating a lovely sticky, soft texture.

What does twice-cooked pork taste like?

When seeing the pictures, you may think that twice-cooked pork is quite hot. But the answer is no. Like most of the other Sichuan dishes like mapo tofu, dan dan noodles, twice-cooked pork has a well-balanced flavor of savory, aromatic, and a little bit hot. The red color comes from doubanjiang, which has a milder hot taste.

What is twice-cooked pork made of

The main ingredient of this dish is well-marbled pork belly, aromatics (garlic, ginger, and scallion), fresh peppers, garlic sprouts, doubanjiang, douchi, and light soy sauce.

Pork belly –is the most popular ingredient in Chinese cooking. It has a good fat-to-meat ratio that makes it ideal for stir-frying.
Aromatics (garlic, ginger, and scallion) — are used to add flavors and aromatics to the dish.
Fresh peppers — can be any type of pepper but the most common ones used are green peppers. If you prefer a hotter version, replace green pepper with hotter peppers.
Garlic sprouts — are the young shoots of garlic plants and have a milder flavor than regular garlic.
Doubangjiang — is a type of chili bean paste that is commonly used in Sichuan cuisine. It is considered the soul of Sichuan cuisine. More details are here.
Douchi — are fermented black soybeans that add a salty and smoky flavor to the dish. Details are here.
Sichuan peppercorn – gives the dish its characteristic numbing spice.
Sugar– helps to combine the flavors better.
Light soy sauce — is used to add saltiness and umami flavor.

Ingredient Substitutions

Different types of twice-cooked pork differ locally mainly concerning the side vegetables used in the dish. Garlic sprout is the most popular side ingredient in China. Garlic sprouts are the young shoots of garlic plants and have a milder flavor than regular garlic, and also can add a lovely crunch texture to the dish. This pork stir fry can be cooked with fresh green peppers, garlic sprouts, cabbages, and even potatoes. So you can substitute garlic sprouts, with cabbages, and potatoes.

twice cooked pork Belly|chinasichuanfood.com

Instructions

Boil the pork belly

Place pork belly in a large pot with enough cold water to cover it. Add 2 green onions and 4-5 Sichuan peppercorns (you can skip them if you don’t have some by hand). Bring to a boil and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. If you are cooking a larger amount, cut the pork belly into 15cm sections. Transfer out and set aside to cool down. Then cut the pork belly into 1mm thick slices.

twice cooked pork Belly|chinasichuanfood.com

Prepare the aromatics and side ingredients

Cut the garlic sprouts and leaves into 1.5-inch sections. Cut green peppers, and chop the ginger, garlic, and green onions. Roughly chop dou-chi too.

twice cooked pork Belly|chinasichuanfood.com
twice cooked pork Belly|chinasichuanfood.com

Stir-frying

Heat up around 1 teaspoon of oil in a wok (not too much, otherwise the dish might be over greasy), and fry the pork belly for around 1-2 minutes (Note 2)until they begin to lose oil and are slightly brown and curled.

twice cooked pork Belly|chinasichuanfood.com

Transfer the pork slices out and leave oil only, fry doubanjiang over slow fire until the oil turns red. Add ginger, garlic, and scallion until aroma. Place dou-chi in, fry for another half minute. Keep slow fire when adding the seasonings.

twice cooked pork Belly|chinasichuanfood.com
Key step: fry the doubajiang over slow fire until the oil turns red
twice cooked pork Belly|chinasichuanfood.com
Add dou-chi, remaining low fire

Return pork slices and give a big stir fry to combine well. Add garlic sprouts, green peppers, and sugar, and pour in light soy sauce over the edge of the wok. Give everything a big stir fry to mix well. Serve immediately. Don’t kill the freshness.

twice cooked pork Belly|chinasichuanfood.com

Cook’s Note

  • it is important to use a good quality pork belly. Look for a stripe of pork belly that has a good marbling of fat and meat. This will result in good flavors and good shape.
  • If you have enough time, pre-cook the pork belly first and then wait until 100% cooled down before cutting. It will make the cutting process much easier.
  • Since both doubanjiang, dou-chi and light soy sauce are salty ingredients, if you are watching out for the salt intake, you can decrease the amounts of those three ingredients. There is no need for extra salt.
  • Adding sugar can help to combine all the flavors together. But it is totally optional.
twice cooked pork Belly|chinasichuanfood.com

Is twice-cooked pork healthy?

Although it is very delicious, I don’t think it is a healthy dish. Pork belly has lots of fat and the dish uses lots of seasonings. If you are making a meal plan, you can use blanched vegetables, healthy salad, or soup as a balancer.

What to serve with

Since twice-cooked pork is a savory dish, you can make a complete meal by serving it with staple food like white rice, fried rice, steamed buns, soup noodles, with some blanched vegetables.

Can I reheat twice cooked pork?

Sometimes we often have leftovers and you may wonder whether you can reheat the twice-cooked pork or not. The good news is yes. It even tastes better on the second day after reheating.

You can reheat it in a microwave, or middle fire for 1 minute. Or you can use a wok to stir fry it once again.

twice cooked pork Belly|chinasichuanfood.com

Twice Cooked Pork

Twice Cooked Pork (Double Cooked Pork) from China Sichuan Cuisine.
5 from 16 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Sichuan cuisine
Keyword: pork, twice cooked
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 2
Calories: 839kcal
Author: Elaine

Ingredients

  • 300 g pork belly

First Boiling

  • Sichuan peppercorn
  • 1 small thumb ginger
  • water to cover
  • 2 green onions
  • 1 tbsp. shaoxing wine

Stir Frying Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place pork belly in a large pot with enough cold water to cover. Add 2 green onions, ginger, sichuan peppercorn and Shaoxing wine. Bring to boil and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. If you are cooking a larger amount, cut the pork belly into 15cm sections. Transfer out and set aside to cool down. Then cut the pork belly into 1mm thick slices.
  • Cut the garlic sprouts and leaves into 1.5-inch sections. Cut green peppers, chop the ginger, garlic, and green onions. Roughly chop dou-chi too.
  • Heat up around 1 teaspoon of oil in a wok (not too much, otherwise the dish might be over greasy), and fry the pork belly for around 1-2 minutes (Note 2)until they begin to lose oil and are slightly brown and curled.
  • Transfer the pork slices out and leave oil only, fry doubanjiang over slow fire until the oil turns red. Add ginger, garlic, and scallion until aroma. Place dou-chi, fry for another half minute. Keep slow fire when adding the seasonings.
  • Return pork slices and give a big stir fry to combine well. Add garlic sprouts, green peppers, and sugar, and pour in light soy sauce over the edge of the wok. Give everything a big stir fry to mix well. This process should be fast so the freshness won't be killed.
  • Serve with steamed rice.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 839kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 83g | Saturated Fat: 29g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 39g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 467mg | Potassium: 393mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 161IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg
twice cooked pork Belly|chinasichuanfood.com

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82 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is an awesome recipe. Love it!
    Elaine your one of my favorite cooks!
    I’ve already made so many recipes from your site.
    Keep up the good work!

  2. Looks great! Just got the pan simmering away now. Hope it works, I have everything except the black beans. I also threw some star anise, ginger, cloves and bay leaves in the water – seemed like a good idea. If it’s a disaster I only have myself to blame..,

  3. Are there any recommendations as to what type of chili works best with this recipe? I had a version of this at a restaurant when I was on vacation and now I want to do my best to be able to make it at home and properly.

    1. Colt,
      There are so many types of pepper in China. I may use several types in turns. You can use Hybrid Chinese Pepper or shishito for a milder version.

  4. 5 stars
    It is the second time that I prepare this fabulous recipe, and also made your Mapo Doufu countless times! Fortunately, Asian shops became quite popular in Italy over the last years, so it is relatively easy to find all the ingredients. Curiously, no chinese restaurant in Rome does Hui Guo Rou, unless I decide to visit downtown’s restaurants?
    Never mind…Thanks to you, Elaine, I can make this to perfection every time and I can bet it will always better than any restaurant! Thank you again from a Szechuan food lover!!!

    1. Thank you Max. It is really good news about the easy to find Chinese ingredients. We are very lucky to live in such an ear. I can find Italy ingredients easily in China too.
      Hui Guo Rou actually is our favorite Sichuan dish for home cooking and I am so glad to know you love it too. Happy cooking and enjoy!

  5. Hi Elaine,

    Just letting you know you might consider publishing a version of this with the tianmianjiang – I live in Minnesota, about 40 minutes from our capital and our local Chinese grocer carries it! I have it in my cupboard at all times. I think Amazon also makes this an easy ingredient to access, as well.

    1. Tonya,
      If you want to frozen this. I would suggest boil the pork firstly and then freeze the sliced pieces. Next time, directly stir-frying with peppers and aromatics.