回鍋肉 (huí guō ròu)

回鍋肉, lit. “return to pot meat,” is usually translated more poetically as “twice-cooked pork.” As the name would suggest, it is pork belly that has been boiled and then stir-fried. I used to dislike the texture of the fatty portions of pork belly, but just like pretty much everything else, I’ve come to appreciate it more after I’ve cooked it. When I saw some pork belly at Panda Supermarket, my mind immediately jumped to braised pork belly, but I got lazy the first night and decided to make this dish instead.

First, you blanch the entire slab of pork belly. Then you cut it up into thin pieces and stir-fry it. (full resolution: left, right)

Typically speaking, one stir-fries the pork with leeks, but I just used scallions instead.

Of course, one must always have an “artsy” close-up of one’s dish if one is to put it up on the Internet! (full resolution: left, right)

I made twice-cooked pork a few more times. This is a very rich and tasty dish.

For some reason, these came out with a lighter color. (full resolution: left, right)