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.
- The first cook must reach just-cooked — a skewer should pass through with slight resistance. Over-cooked pork in the first stage produces meat that falls apart during the stir-fry [VERIFY first cook time] - Cool completely before slicing — warm pork belly tears rather than slicing cleanly. Refrigerate for minimum 1 hour after the first cook [VERIFY] - Slice thinly against the grain — approximately 3mm. Thick slices don't crisp; thin slices crisp around the edges while the fat renders [VERIFY thickness] - The characteristic curl: as the pork slices hit the hot wok, the skin contracts and the slices curl into cups. This is the signal that the fat is rendering correctly — do not flatten - Add doubanjiang and fermented black beans after the pork has begun to render — the fat rendered from the pork is the cooking medium for the paste
THOMPSON THAI ADDITIONAL + DUNLOP SICHUAN ADDITIONAL