Twice-cooked pork

Like hot and sour cabbage, Twice-cooked pork is another Sichuan dish that has become popular throughout China. Any leftovers from Crystal-boiled pork can be used instead of fresh meat.

1 lb (450 g) belly pork, or any other cut of pork
1/4 lb (100 g) bamboo shoots
2-3 spring onions
2-3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp crushed yellow bean paste
1 tbsp chilli bean paste
1 tbsp rice wine or sherry
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar

Method

Place the piece of pork whole in a saucepan and cover it with water. Bring it to the boil and let in simmer for about 40 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave the meat in the liquid for at least 2-3 hours under cover before removing it to cool with the skin side up.

Meanwhile, cut the bamboo shoots into small slices and spring onions into 1/2 in (12 mm) lengths. Skin the pork, and if you are calorie conscious, cut off some of the excess fat. Slice the meat into thin pieces about the size of large postage stamps.

Heat the oil in a hot wok or frying-pan, throw in the spring onions followed by the bean paste, stir for a couple of seconds, then add the pork and bamboo shoots together with wine, soy sauce and sugar. Stir for about 1 1/2 minutes, adding a little water or stock if necessary.

You can substitute the bamboo shoots with any other seasonal vegetable, in which case stir-fry the fresh vegetable first for a few seconds before adding the pork to the pan.

© Deh-Ta Hsiung and reproduced with his kind permission.