Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Twice Cooked Pork (Huí Guō Ròu)
Twice-cooked pork has crisp edges around rich slices of belly, with a savory bean-paste coating clinging to each piece. Garlic scapes and scallions bring a fresh oniony bite alongside the pork. It's an appealing plate when you're hungry for something richly flavored with a little chili warmth.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Original yield
- Serves 3
- Ingredients
- 10 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Pork
- Cuisine
- Chinese · Asian
- Cooking method
- Stir fry
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 31–60 minutes
A few quick notes
1. Simmer before chilling
Simmer the pork belly first, then wrap and refrigerate it for the stated chill before slicing.
2. Slice the chilled pork thinly
Use a sharp knife on the chilled belly to make the thin slices called for before stir frying.
3. Drain excess oil
After the pork edges start crisping, drain off excess oil before frying the ginger and chili bean paste.
Get to know the ingredients
Pork belly
Chilling the cooked belly solidifies its fat, making the meat easier to slice thinly for the second cooking.
Tianmianjiang
The sweet wheat bean paste is mixed with wine, soy sauce and sugar in the prepared sauce bowl.
Garlic scapes
Trim and chop the garlic scapes before stir frying them with the pork until cooked through.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 3. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 8 steps completeMake room for Twice Cooked Pork (Huí Guō Ròu)
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Scallions with the final sauce
Add the prepared sauce and scallions, then stir fry until the liquid has evaporated around the pork.
A little more help as you go
Choose a close-fitting pot
The initial simmer uses a pot the belly barely fits, with enough water to submerge the pork completely.
Short chili-paste fry
Move the pork to the pan edges and fry ginger with doubanjiang only until fragrant before adding scapes.
A few questions you might have
Why does the pork need chilling?
The directions explain that chilling solidifies the fat so the cooked belly is easier to slice thinly.
Is the first cooking a stir fry?
No, the belly simmers in water first; after chilling and slicing, it is stir fried until the edges crisp.
When do I mix the sauce?
Combine Tianmianjiang, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce and sugar after slicing the chilled pork and before heating the wok.
Do scallions cook with the garlic scapes?
The scapes cook through with the pork first, then the scallions enter with the prepared sauce.
Can I save the simmering liquid?
Yes, the directions allow skimming and using it as a soup base for another dish, or discarding it.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: norecipes.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
