Twice-Cooked Pork: The Two-Stage Fat Rendering

Huiguorou (twice-cooked pork) is the most loved home dish in Sichuan cooking — pork belly simmered until just cooked, sliced, then stir-fried with doubanjiang, garlic, leek, and fermented black beans until the fat has rendered and the edges are slightly crispy. The two-stage cook is the technique: the first cook tenderises and sets the structure; the second cook renders and crisps.

Pork belly simmered whole in water with aromatics for 30–40 minutes until just cooked through, then cooled, sliced thinly, and stir-fried at high heat until the fat renders and the slices are slightly curled and lightly crisped at the edges.

• Korean boiled-then-grilled samgyeopsal (same two-stage principle — boil then grill or pan-fry), Filipino lechon kawali (same boil-then-fry principle — different aromatics and finish), Chinese dong po