Sichuan Twice Cooked Pork (回鍋肉, hui guo rou) is a classic Sichuan stir-fry made with boiled then pan-fried pork belly, leek, cabbage and a bold, savoury doubanjiang based sauce. It’s ready in under 40 minutes, and it’s one of the most flavourful dishes you can make on a weeknight!
Table of Contents
- What is Sichuan Twice Cooked Pork?
- Why I Love This Recipe
- Ingredients for This Dish
- How to Make Sichuan Twice Cooked Pork
- Karen’s Top Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sichuan Twice Cooked Pork?
Sichuan Twice Cooked Pork (回鍋肉, hui guo rou) is a classic Sichuan stir-fry made with simmered then pan-fried pork belly, leek, cabbage and a bold, savoury sauce built on doubanjiang.
回鍋肉 (hui guo rou) literally translates to “return to the pot meat.” And that’s exactly what happens: the pork belly gets boiled and simmered first until just cooked through and tender, then sliced into thin pieces and thrown back into the wok for a second fry until the edges go all crispy and curled.
This is one of my favourite Sichuan dishes because it’s so simple, but it’s packed with flavour. It’s savoury, umami and slightly spicy, and it’s one of those dishes that makes me scoop bowls and bowls of rice.
Why I Love This Recipe
● So simple but so flavourful – doubanjiang, garlic, ginger and chillies are doing most of the work here!
● Quick & easy – simply simmer the pork belly until tender, slice it thinly, then toss it with the rest of the ingredients and stir-fry.
● Tastes just like a Sichuan restaurant – the flavours are so bold and punchy it almost feels like you’re eating at a restaurant!
Ingredients for This Dish
You’ll find the full ingredients list and quantities in the recipe card below, but let’s run through a few key ingredients.
Pork belly
Go for a piece with good marbling, roughly even layers of fat and meat.
I prefer to use pork belly with the skin still on, this is traditionally what’s used in twice cooked pork. Because once it’s boiled and sliced, the skin turns beautifully soft and gelatinous, which adds another layer of texture you don’t get with skinless belly.
You also want to pork belly to have enough fat to render down and crisp up on the second cook, otherwise the pork can end up dry.
Doubanjiang (豆瓣醬)
Doubanjiang is the backbone of the whole dish! So there really isn’t a substitute you can use to swap out.
Doubanjiang (豆瓣醬) is a Sichuan fermented broad bean and chilli paste, made by fermenting broad beans with chillies, salt and sometimes soybeans over months (or even years, for the more aged versions).
It’s salty, deeply savoury and has a gentle kick, with a fermented complexity that’s hard to replicate with anything else. This is what gives Sichuan dishes like this one, mapo tofu and fish fragrant eggplant their signature flavour.
I usually get the Chuan Lao Hui (川老匯) Pixian doubanjiang, which comes from Pixian district in Sichuan and is considered the most authentic doubanjiang. I’m a big fan of Lee Kum Kee products in general, BUT for doubanjiang specifically, I’d recommend going for the authentic brands that actually come from Sichuan, China, rather than the Lee Kum Kee version (sorry LKK I still love you!).
These usually come in a big plastic tub rather than a small jar, and you can find them at most Asian supermarkets or on Amazon. It usually keeps for months in the fridge once opened, so it’s worth having in your pantry if you cook Sichuan food regularly.
Fermented black beans (豆豉)
Fermented black beans (豆豉, dou si) is different to doubanjiang, as these are whole soybeans that have been fermented and salted, giving them a pungent, umami flavour and a bit of texture, whereas doubanjiang is a broad bean and chilli paste.
You can easily find them dried or in small jars at Chinese supermarkets. If you don’t have any, the dish still works well without them.
Leek and cabbage
Leek and cabbage adds a mild sweetness and a bit of crunch that balances out how rich the pork is. I like to add more because I love veggies!!
How to Make Sichuan Twice Cooked Pork
1) Boil the pork
Add the pork belly slices to a pot and fill with enough cold water to cover. Add the green onion and a splash of Shaoxing wine. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer gently for 15 minutes, until the pork is cooked through.
2) Cool and slice
Let the pork cool down, then slice it into thin pieces.
3) Fry the pork
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok. Add the pork belly slices and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until browned and slightly golden.
4) Build the sauce
Add the garlic slices, chilli, doubanjiang and fermented black bean. Toss and stir-fry for a minute, until the sauce is well combined with the meat and fragrant.
5) Add the veg and finish
Add the chopped leek and cabbage, along with the dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and sugar. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until the vegetables are softened and cooked through. Serve and enjoy with rice!
Karen’s Top Tips
1) Use a hot wok!
Make sure your wok or frying pan is really hot so the pork can brown and slightly crisp up.
2) Fry the aromatics until fragrant
Give the garlic, chilli, doubanjiang and fermented black bean a good stir for a minute to bring out the aromas before adding the veg. This is what brings the dish to life!
3) Go easy on the salt
The doubanjiang and fermented black beans are pretty salty, so make sure not to add too much, and only give a tiny splash of dark soy sauce for the colour. You most likely don’t need to add any more salt!
More Sichuan dishes you’ll love
Frequently Asked Questions
Pork belly is traditional because the fat (and skin, if using skin-on) renders down and helps crisp things up on the second fry. Pork shoulder can work as a leaner option, but the texture will be noticeably different, less gelatinous and less rich.
I wouldn’t recommend substituting it, the fermented flavour is really the backbone of this dish, and nothing else quite replicates it.
It’s more of a gentle heat from the doubanjiang than anything super spicy. If you want more spice, you can add more chillies.
Sichuan Twice Cooked Pork (回鍋肉)
2
servings10
minutes30
minutesSichuan Twice Cooked Pork (回鍋肉), stir-fried pork belly in a savoury doubanjiang sauce with leek and cabbage. Ready in under 40 minutes.
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Ingredients
- For the pork
250 g pork belly, skin on
1 green onion (for boiling the pork)
2 tsp Shaoxing wine
- For the aromatics and veg
150 g leek
40 g cabbage
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 chilli pepper, sliced
- For the stir-fry
2 tbsp doubanjiang
1 tbsp fermented black bean
1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp Shaoxing wine
1/2 tsp sugar
Directions
- Add the pork belly slices to a pot and fill with enough cold water to cover. Add the green onion and a splash of Shaoxing wine. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer gently for 15 minutes, until the pork is cooked through.
- Let the pork cool down, then slice it into thin pieces.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok. Add the pork belly slices and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until browned and slightly golden.
- Add the garlic slices, chilli, doubanjiang and fermented black bean. Toss and stir-fry for a minute, until the sauce is well combined with the meat and fragrant.
- Add the chopped leek and cabbage, along with the dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and sugar. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until the vegetables are softened and cooked through. Enjoy with rice! 🙂
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