Chinese

Serving

Twice Cooked Pork

Name: Twice Cooked Pork
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 lb Pork belly (with skin on); 2 large Leeks (white and light green parts, sliced diagonally into 2-inch pieces); 1/2 Red bell pepper (sliced); 2 tbsp Doubanjiang (Sichuan chili bean paste); 1 tbsp Tianmianjiang (Sweet bean sauce); 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine; 2 slices Fresh ginger; 1 tbsp Cooking oil

Slices of pork belly first boiled and then stir-fried with aromatics.

45 minutes

Serves 3

Dinner

16 min prep

25 min cook

Contains common allergens

Soy Wheat

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Instructions

6 steps

1
First Cook (Simmer): Bring a pot of water to a boil with the ginger slices and Shaoxing wine. Add the whole slab of pork belly, cover, and simmer over medium-low heat for 30-40 minutes until a chopstick can easily pierce the meat.
2
Cool and Slice: Remove the pork belly and let it cool completely (or refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm it up). Once cool, slice it as thinly as possible, ideally 1/8-inch thick pieces, keeping the fat, skin, and meat layers intact on each slice.
3
Render the Fat: Heat a wok over medium heat with 1 tbsp oil. Add the pork belly slices in a single layer. Fry slowly until the slices begin to curl up at the edges and turn golden brown, releasing some of their fat.
4
Aromatize the Pastes: Push the pork to the side of the wok. In the rendered fat, add the doubanjiang and tianmianjiang. Fry the pastes for 30-60 seconds until the oil turns bright red and incredibly fragrant.
5
Combine: Toss the pork slices back into the center, coating them completely in the rich red sauce.
6
Add the Veggies: Toss in the diagonally sliced leeks and red bell pepper. Stir-fry over high heat for 1-2 minutes until the leeks are just tender but still vibrant. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Twice Cooked Pork — plated and served — Serving moment. How Twice Cooked Pork looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

61/100

Works for many families

Allergen-friendly 80

Kid-friendly 35

Weeknight-easy 54

Budget-friendly 72

Great leftovers 87

Pantry-friendly 41

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

455

Calories

42 g

Protein

10 g

Carbs

26 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Twice Cooked Pork (hui guo rou) is a signature dish of Sichuan cuisine with origins in the practice of finishing leftover boiled pork from New Year celebrations -- the second cooking in a hot wok with chili bean paste gave the already-cooked meat new life and bold flavor. The method of poaching a large piece of pork belly first and then stir-frying thin slices is counterintuitive but transforms the texture: the initial boil renders excess fat and makes slicing easy, while the hot wok then chars the surface and develops the caramelized edges that define the dish.

Listahan note

This version chills the poached pork belly in the refrigerator before slicing so the fat firms up and the cuts are clean and uniform, which is the difference between rustic and restaurant-quality presentation.

Technique cues

Boil the pork belly in aromatics until barely cooked through (about 70 percent done internally) rather than fully tender -- the wok finish will complete the cooking and a fully soft belly falls apart when sliced.
Slice the chilled pork belly as thin as possible (about 3mm) on the bias so each piece has an equal ribbon of fat and lean meat that curls and blisters in the hot wok.
The leek or baby leek is added in two stages: the white base goes in with the pork to soften, the green tops go in last off heat so they stay bright and add a fresh aromatic finish.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: The pork belly must be poached and chilled first (1 to 2 hours or overnight), so this dish naturally divides into two sessions -- plan accordingly.
Make-ahead: Poached and chilled whole pork belly keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days before slicing and finishing; this is actually the recommended approach for the best slice quality.
Leftover move: Chop leftover twice-cooked pork roughly and toss with cooked rice noodles and a drizzle of chili oil for a fast next-day noodle bowl.
Cleanup rhythm: Soak the wok in hot water immediately after cooking -- the sweet bean paste and doubanjiang residue softens and releases within 2 minutes of soaking.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

pork belly

primary protein

Purpose: The alternating layers of fat and lean in pork belly provide both richness and texture contrast -- pure lean pork dries out, pure fat is too rich.

Handling: Poach whole in water with ginger, scallion, and Shaoxing wine; cool and refrigerate before slicing.

Adaptation: Pork shoulder is leaner and can substitute; the ratio of fat to lean will be less dramatic but the dish remains satisfying.

doubanjiang

spicy-fermented sauce backbone

Purpose: Doubanjiang provides the red color, chili heat, and fermented depth that make twice-cooked pork distinctly Sichuan rather than a generic stir-fry.

Handling: Fry in the wok oil until the oil turns red before adding any other ingredients -- this step is non-negotiable for color and depth.

Adaptation: Korean gochujang gives a similar fermented chili character but a sweeter, less complex result.

sweet bean paste (tian mian jiang)

savory-sweet balance

Purpose: Sweet bean paste adds a mollifying sweetness that keeps the doubanjiang's heat from dominating the dish.

Handling: Add after the doubanjiang has fried red, stirring constantly to prevent burning.

Adaptation: Hoisin sauce at half the quantity approximates the sweet-savory balance if sweet bean paste is unavailable.

baby leeks

vegetable counterpoint

Purpose: The mild onion sweetness and slight bitterness of leek balances the richness of the pork and the intensity of the sauce.

Handling: Separate white and green portions; cut the white on the bias into 2-inch sections and the green into thin diagonal slices.

Adaptation: Scallions in larger quantities, or a combination of scallion whites and green bell pepper, are the most common substitutes.

Technique notes

The pork slices should cup and blister at the edges in the hot wok rather than lying flat -- if they lie flat, the wok is not hot enough and the fat is steaming rather than rendering.
Drain the rendered fat from the wok before adding the aromatics if the belly is particularly fatty; excess oil will make the sauce greasy rather than glossy.
Taste for balance before plating -- the dish should be salty, savory, and slightly sweet with lingering heat; a pinch of sugar corrects if the doubanjiang dominates.

Ingredient swaps

Lower-fat direction: Use pork shoulder instead of belly; lean slices of shoulder still blister well in the wok and absorb the sauce without the same fat content.
Gluten-free direction: Replace sweet bean paste with a mixture of hoisin and water (check the brand for gluten), and use tamari instead of any soy sauce; confirm doubanjiang is wheat-free.

Serve alongside

steamed jasmine rice
blanched spinach with garlic
simple cucumber and vinegar salad
Tsingtao beer
warm Shaoxing rice wine

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate for up to 3 days; the flavor improves overnight as the sauce penetrates the pork further. Reheat in a hot wok or skillet with a splash of water to loosen the sauce.
Freeze for up to 1 month; the pork texture holds better than most stir-fries because the belly fat prevents the protein from drying during freezing.

Equipment

carbon steel wok
large pot for initial poaching
sharp slicing knife
wok spatula

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