Yu Bo's Twice Cooked Pork

Submitted by Sackville

"A recipe I am considering making, originally gleaned from Epicurious."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 10mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 2

ingredients

• 3⁄4 lb fresh pork belly
• 2 inches fresh ginger, smashed
• 1 scallion, smashed
• 3⁄4 lb leek, cut diagonally into 1-inch-thick slices (Chinese if you can get them)
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons chinese chile bean sauce
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 teaspoons chinese fermented black beans, soaked in water 10 minutes and drained
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons rice wine or 2 teaspoons medium-dry sherry
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil

directions

1. Put pork in a 5-quart pot and cover with cold water by 2 inches.
2. Bring to a boil, skimming foam as necessary, then add ginger and scallion.
3. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until pork is just cooked through and no longer pink inside, about 1 hour.
4. Drain in a colander and cool.
5. Cut pork crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices and pat dry.
6. Wash white and pale green sliced leeks in a bowl of cold water, then lift out and drain well. Pat dry.
7. If using Chinese leek greens, wash separately in same manner.
8. Stir together chile bean sauce, cayenne, black beans, and sweet bean sauce in a small bowl.
9. Stir together wine and soy sauce in a small cup.
10. Heat a wok over high heat until a bead of water dropped onto cooking surface evaporates immediately.
11. Add 1 tablespoon oil, swirling it around wok, and heat until it begins to smoke. Carefully add pork slices (oil will spit) and cook, letting slices lie flat against wok to brown but stirring occasionally, until golden, about 3 minutes.
12. Transfer pork with a slotted spoon to a bowl.
13. Add remaining tablespoon oil to wok and heat over high heat until it begins to smoke. Add chile mixture and stir-fry 1 minute.
14. Return pork to wok and stir-fry until coated with chile mixture.
15. Add wine-soy mixture and stir-fry until pork is coated. Add white and pale green parts of either kind of leek and stir-fry until almost crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
16. Add Chinese leek greens if using. Continue to stir-fry until leeks are crisp-tender (and greens are just wilted), about 1 minute.
17. Pork can be simmered and drained 1 day ahead. Cool, uncovered, then chill, wrapped in plastic wrap.

Reviews

[Kate S.]

Of all the twice-cooked pork recipes on the site, this is the one with truly authentic Chinese ingredients, just like what I've always been served in China.