Twice-cooked pork is a classic Sichuan dish that embodies the bold and spicy flavors of this region. This delectable dish features tender pork belly that undergoes a unique two-step cooking process, resulting in a symphony of textures and tastes. The pork belly is first boiled until fall-apart tender, infusing it with a rich broth flavor. It is then sliced and pan-fried until crispy, creating a delightful contrast between the tender interior and the crispy exterior. Twice-cooked pork is typically served with a spicy sauce made from Pixian doubanjiang (a spicy fermented bean paste), ginger, garlic, and scallions, which adds an extra layer of complexity and heat. This dish is often paired with steamed rice or Chinese pancakes, making it a hearty and satisfying meal.
Within this comprehensive article, you will find a collection of twice-cooked pork recipes that cater to various tastes and preferences. The classic Sichuan twice-cooked pork recipe provides a detailed guide to creating this iconic dish, ensuring you achieve the perfect balance of flavors and textures. For those who prefer a milder version, the Hunan-style twice-cooked pork recipe offers a less spicy alternative, while still retaining the essence of this beloved dish. Additionally, the article features a vegetarian twice-cooked pork recipe, a creative and flavorful take on this traditional meat-based dish. This plant-based version utilizes tofu as a substitute for pork belly, resulting in a satisfying and protein-rich dish that is sure to impress both vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.
TWICE-COOKED PORK TENDERLOIN
Here's a surprising and flavorful way to prepare tenderloin, one of the leanest and most economical cuts of pork. Brown the whole tenderloin. Let it rest for a few minutes, so the meat firms up a bit. Then slice the tenderloin into medallions, about an inch thick. Brown the slices on both sides and top with a quick French-style sauce made of heavy cream and Dijon mustard, lemon juice or Calvados.
Provided by Mark Bittman
Categories dinner, easy, quick, weekday, main course
Time 25m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. Put a large skillet over medium-high heat; a minute later add 2 tablespoons butter and/or oil. When butter foam subsides or oil dimples, add meat (curve it into skillet if necessary). Brown it well on all sides, for a total of 4 to 6 minutes. Turn off heat, remove meat from pan, and let it sit on a board. When skillet has cooled a bit, proceed.
- Cut meat into inch-thick slices. Once again turn heat to medium-high, add remaining butter and/or oil and, when it's hot, add pork slices to pan. Brown on each side, about 2 or 3 minutes each. Turn heat to low and remove meat to a warm platter.
- Add 1/2 cup water to pan, turn heat to high, and cook, stirring and scraping, for a minute. Lower heat slightly, add cream and cook until slightly thickened. Stir in mustard, lemon juice or Calvados, if you're using them, then taste and adjust seasoning. Serve meat with sauce spooned on top, garnished, if you like, with parsley.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 301, UnsaturatedFat 15 grams, Carbohydrate 1 gram, Fat 23 grams, Fiber 0 grams, Protein 23 grams, SaturatedFat 7 grams, Sodium 331 milligrams, Sugar 0 grams, TransFat 0 grams
TWICE-COOKED PORK
Provided by Florence Fabricant
Categories dinner, main course
Time 3h
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Place pork, 6 scallions, ginger and salt in large pot. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until tender. Remove meat, and discard liquid. When pork has cooled, remove skin and any bones. Cut meat in half crosswise, then slice it thinly lengthwise.
- Slice remaining scallions lengthwise, then in 3-inch pieces.
- Heat oil in wok or skillet. When very hot, add pork and stir-fry until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour off excess oil and fat. Add garlic and ginger, and stir-fry 10 seconds. Add scallions, and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add chili paste, rice wine, soy sauce, sugar and Sichuan pepper, and stir-fry another minute. Scatter with cilantro and serve.
TWICE-COOKED CHILE PORK
This is a popular Sichuan dish, which goes perfectly with steamed rice. Pork belly is boiled, sliced and then stir-fried with sweet bean paste, chile bean paste, and green peppers.
Provided by Jin
Categories World Cuisine Recipes Asian Chinese
Time 1h17m
Yield 3
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Place pork belly into a pot and cover with water. Add ginger and Sichuan peppercorns. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook until some of the fat has rendered out, about 20 minutes.
- Remove the pork from the pot and cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Drain. Cut the pork into thin slices, about 1/8 inch thick. Return pork slices to pot. Stir in chile bean paste, sweet bean paste, and sugar. Cover and cook over medium heat until the pork is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a wok over medium heat. Cook and stir green bell pepper and salt until starting to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a dish.
- Heat remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Cook and stir pork until pieces begin to shrink and brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Return green bell pepper to the wok. Cook and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 329.6 calories, Carbohydrate 6.1 g, Cholesterol 37.4 mg, Fat 27.9 g, Fiber 0.9 g, Protein 14.7 g, SaturatedFat 6.8 g, Sodium 1445.7 mg, Sugar 2.8 g
TWICE COOKED PORK STIR FRY
I love twice cooked pork in the restaurant and I was looking for a way to recreate it at home. Use the crushed red pepper to make it hot or leave it out for a milder flavor.
Provided by QueenJellyBean
Categories Asian
Time 30m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Cook pork slightly in a nonstick skillet sprayed with non stick spray just until slightly pink in the center. Let cool 5 minutes and cut into thin strips.
- Heat oil in large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Stir fry onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, mushrooms, pork, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper; stir fry for 5 minutes until vegetables are crisp tender.
- Combine chicken broth and cornstarch in a small cup until smooth. Add to skillet; cook and stir gently about 1 minute or until slightly thickened.
- Serve over rice.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 374.3, Fat 5.7, SaturatedFat 1.2, Cholesterol 27.6, Sodium 292.1, Carbohydrate 63.8, Fiber 3.4, Sugar 4.7, Protein 15.7
THREE-DAY, TWICE-COOKED PORK ROAST WITH FRIED-HERB SALSA VERDE
Provided by Cal Peternell, Chez Panisse Restaurant and Café
Categories Pork Kid-Friendly Dinner Rosemary Sage Parsley Dairy Free Wheat/Gluten-Free Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free Small Plates
Yield Serves 6-8
Number Of Ingredients 26
Steps:
- Day 1: Prep the pork:
- Place pork shoulder on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with 1 tablespoon each kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover pork with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Day 2: Cook the pork:
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Heat a large heavy pot (such as a Dutch oven) over high; add 1/4 cup oil, onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables start to sizzle; reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, herbs, and spices and sauté for 1 minute more. Add the wine and bring to a simmer.
- Place the pork on top of the aromatics and add enough stock or water to come halfway up the pork. Bring liquid to a simmer, and then cover pot with a lid or a couple layers of foil.
- Transfer pot to oven and cook for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 325°F and cook until the meat is quite tender, about 3 hours. (To test for doneness, insert a slender, sharp knife into the middle of the roast; it should pull out easily.)
- When meat is cooked, transfer it to a separate container, reserving the pan juices. Set a colander over a large bowl, and strain the pan juice into the bowl, pressing on the solids to extract all the liquid. Let strained pan juices until fat rises to the top, about 5 minutes. With a small ladle, skim off and discard the fat. Pour the skimmed, strained pan juices over the pork and let cool to room temperature; cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Day 3: Crisp the pork and make the sauce:
- One hour before you're ready to serve the pork, remove the meat from its cooking liquid and cut (while still cold) into neat 1-inch slices; set aside. Pour cooking liquid in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer and reduce by a third. Season to taste, cover, and keep warm.
- While your pork comes to room temperature, prepare the salsa verde. Line a large plate with a paper towel, and place it next to the stove, alongside a slotted spoon or "spider" spatula. In a small skillet, heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil over medium heat. When the oil starts to look swirly, drop in a single rosemary leaf to test for readiness: if it sinks quietly to the bottom, the oil's not ready. When a leaf sizzles, but not in a frantic way, you are ready to fry.
- Add the rosemary leaves to the oil and fry until the sizzling subsides, about 1 minute. Using the slotted spoon or spider, scoop the herbs from the oil and place the on the paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat with the sage leaves in the same oil; remove skillet from heat.
- On a cutting board, gather the parsley leaves into a ball, holding them down on the cutting board as if they were trying to run away. Slice this parsley bundle thinly, as if it were a single vegetable. As you slice, the ball will come apart, but just bunch it back together as best you can, keep slicing, and you'll have a nice head start on the chopping that remains. Anchor the tip of the knife to the cutting board and use a paper cutter-like motion to chop away at your pile. Go over it a couple of times, then slide the knife under, like a spatula, and flip it over. Continue chopping and flipping until the parsley is finely chopped; transfer to a medium bowl.
- Render the garlic a paste by either pounding it in a mortar with a pinch of salt, or with a knife on a cutting board, again with salt. When the garlic is almost a thick liquid, transfer it the bowl with the parsley; add the fried herbs and the olive oil. Stir salsa verde to combine, adding more salt or oil as needed.
- To serve:
- Heat a grill, grill pan, griddle, or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, coat the grill or pan with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Working in batches and adding more oil as needed, cook until well browned and crispy on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.
- Pour the reduced pan juices onto a serving platter with the pork (but not over the slices or they will lose some crispness) and arrange pork slices on top. Serve with salsa verde spooned over the top, or served alongside.
TWICE-COOKED PORK (HUI GUO ROU)
Simple preparation, minimum of ingredients, but full of flavor. If you've been searching for a recipe in which to use your soybean paste, this is it!
Provided by FlemishMinx
Categories Pork
Time 35m
Yield 2-3 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Place the pork in a large saucepan and cover with water; bring to the boil.
- When it is boiling, add the mirin and ginger.
- Cook the pork for 20 minutes, then remove from the water and allow to cool (discard the other contents of the pan).
- When the pork is cool enough to handle, slice across the grain as thinly as possible in pieces about 2 inches long.
- Clean the leek and slice in half lengthwise, then slice in 1 inch pieces.
- Clean the bell pepper, remove seeds, and chop in pieces similar in size to the leek.
- Heat a wok over medium-high to high heat.
- Add the oil, and when it is hot, add the flattened garlic clove.
- Fry the garlic until it is very brown, then remove it and discard.
- Add the chopped leek to the wok, and cook for 1 minute, stirring all the while.
- Add the bell pepper pieces, and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring continuously.
- Push the vegetables to the side of the wok and add the sambal oelek in the middle; heat briefly.
- Add the soybean paste, soy sauce, and the pork slices, mixing all well and insuring the pork is covered with all the spicy mixture.
- Cook only for another 1-2 minutes, until everything is heated through.
Tips:
- Choose the right cut of pork: A fatty cut of pork like pork belly or shoulder is best for this dish as it will become tender and flavorful after the double cooking process.
- Use a variety of aromatics: Ginger, garlic, scallions, and star anise are all classic aromatics used in twice-cooked pork. Feel free to experiment with other aromatics like lemongrass, cinnamon, or bay leaves.
- Brown the pork well: Browning the pork before braising it adds a lot of flavor to the dish. Make sure to brown the pork in batches so that it doesn't steam.
- Braise the pork until it is fall-apart tender: The pork should be cooked until it is very tender, but still holds its shape. This usually takes about 1-2 hours.
- Make sure to crisp up the pork before serving: The final step in making twice-cooked pork is to crisp up the pork by frying it in a little oil. This step gives the pork a delicious crispy texture.
Conclusion:
Twice-cooked pork is a delicious and flavorful dish that is perfect for a special occasion. With a little planning and effort, you can easily make this dish at home. Just be sure to follow the tips above to ensure that your twice-cooked pork turns out perfectly.
Are you curently on diet or you just want to control your food's nutritions, ingredients? We will help you find recipes by cooking method, nutrition, ingredients...
Check it out »
You'll also love