Easy Chinese Twice Cooked Pork Belly (Hui Guo Rou)

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Twice cooked pork belly (Hui Guo Rou) is made with tender, caramelized pieces of pork belly stir fried over high heat with vegetables in a spicy, savory sauce. Served with steamed or Chinese sausage fried rice, this classic Sichuan double cooked pork is filled with so much spice and flavor!

plate of chinese pork with chopsticks and vegetables

Twice Cooked Pork Belly=heavenly mouthgasm. For real though, this twice cooked pork belly has amazing flavor and spice, quelled by serving over some instant pot jasmine rice.

The pork is melt-in-your-mouth tender on the inside, with a delicious crust on the outside that goes perfect with the spicy, savory sauce and these tangy pickled mustard greens.

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What is Twice Cooked Pork?
More Pork Belly Recipes
Why This Recipe Works
The Ingredients
Step By Step Instructions
Expert Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
More Chinese Recipes
Recipe
💬 Comments

What is Twice Cooked Pork?

Twice cooked pork, also known as double-cooked pork belly, is the process of simmering pork (usually pork belly) in a flavorful liquid, then slicing and stir frying it with seasonings and vegetables.

Literally, it is "twice cooked." And it's typically pretty spicy as it originated in the Sichuan province (known for it's spicy, tongue numbing Chinese cuisine).

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More Pork Belly Recipes

Why This Recipe Works

Pork belly is used for it's high fat content and tender meat and works perfectly in the recipe without drying out.
The pork belly is simmered in aromatics to add amazing flavor to the meat as well as tenderize it so it melts in your mouth.
A spicy sauce of broad beans and black bean paste is used to add flavor to the stir fried pork.
Sliced green chili peppers and green onions add a fresh quality to offset the richness of the pork.
The recipe is ultra easy to make - don't be turned off by the steps, nothing is difficult and most of the time is hands off.

The Ingredients

The full list of ingredients and amounts is included in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

When looking for a slab of pork belly, I try to find the leanest pork belly I can find. Obviously, you want fat on it, but you don't want the whole thing to be fat.

A key ingredient is the broad bean paste, (also known as fermented chili bean paste, doubanjiang or spicy bean sauce) is a much needed staple if you're going to be regularly cooking Sichuan cuisine.

The best broad bean paste is PiXian broad bean paste (pixian doubanjiang). It comes straight from an area called Pixian within the Sichuan province and is widely known as the best fermented broad beans.

Black Bean Sauce is another important component of this dish. It a savory sauce made with fermented black beans, garlic soy and other seasonings - we use it to stir fry these Chinese chicken feet and it is awesome!

Shaoxing wine is a Chinese rice wine that's adds a delicious flavor to Chinese dishes. If you can't get your hands on it for some reason (most Asian markets carry it), substitute a dry sherry.

You'll also notice I use Anaheim peppers in this recipe - they are not traditional at all, I just love the flavor they add. Leeks or green onions are more often used so feel free to use those in place of the peppers (or any other chili pepper or bell pepper you'd like).

Using the right ingredients here is key to getting that authentic flavor (even though this isn't a 100% authentic recipe). Don't worry about buying a whole bottle of something for this one recipe - we use all the ingredients many times on this site (just search for the ingredient use the search function).

Step By Step Instructions

Make your steamed rice first while the pork belly simmers.

Add the pork belly to a large pot and cover with water - the water should be 2" above the top of the pork belly. Add the star anise, ginger and sea salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and drain. Let the pork belly cool then cut in thin slices.

PRO-TIP

Don't overcook as it will make slicing the pork belly much more difficult.

Heat the cooking oil in a wok over high heat until it is lightly smoking. Learn how to season a wok!

Add the pork belly slices (in 2-3 separate batches to avoid crowding) and quickly stir fry until browned and slightly crisp and caramelized, about 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium high and add the broad bean paste and black bean sauce. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute, ensuring it doesn't burn. Add the garlic, ginger, and chilies and stir fry about 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce, Chinese wine and brown sugar and mix together.

Be careful breathing it in because the frying chilies can really cause some discomfort in your lungs.

Then add the pork, and green onions and cook for one minute.

Remove from heat and serve over Instant pot jasmine rice or coconut jasmine rice (we LOVE this stuff) garnished with diced green onions. You can even serve it over noodles if you like!

late of twice cooked pork and veggies with chopsticks

Expert Tips

Simmer the pork the day before to save time. Be sure to cut the pork AFTER it has been simmered, not before.
Stir fry the pork belly in batches to avoid crowding. When the pan gets crowded, the meat will steam instead of fry and won't get that crisp, caramelized texture we want.
You can add a sliced red pepper, bell pepper, broccoli, etc. if you'd like more vegetables in this dish. You can also serve it with this sauteed baby bok choy recipe on the side if you'd prefer your veggies separate.
Use whole pork belly when simmering - otherwise, the pork will over cook and fall apart. Slice it after it has been cooked.
Pork butt (shoulder) can be used in place of pork belly, but the results will not be quite as melt-in-your-mouth as the pork belly.
Any pepper or vegetable can be used as a substitute for the Anaheim chilies.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does twice cooked pork mean in Chinese food?

Twice cooked pork means pork that has been cooked twice. Typically, it is simmered in water until tender then stir fried in a spicy, flavor packed sauce with vegetables until crispy and caramelized.

What kind of pork is used for twice cooked pork?

Pork belly is the traditional cut of pork used to make double cooked pork, however, a fatty pork shoulder/butt can be used in a pinch.

What does twice cooked pork taste like?

It's very similar in flavor to this Mapo tofu, and has similar qualities as these Sichuan green beans as well. The Sichuan peppercorns give the dish a slightly smoky, tongue numbing flavor. It's also got tons of umami from the broad bean paste and black bean sauce.

stir fried pork on a plate with green chilies

Make it a Chinese Takeout Meal!

You can totally make this a full fledged takeout meal by adding some of these dishes to your repertoire:

You'll for sure want to start with these air fryer potstickers and this wonton noodle soup - and even this Chinese roast pork.
We mentioned the rice above already, but you'll want plenty of steamed and Chinese sausage fried rice.
This stir fry ground beef, Shanghai chicken, or kung pao calamari are amazing too - and keeping with that spicy Sichuan inspired flavor;
And for those with more sensitive palates, this crispy Mongolian beef and shrimp lo mein are packed with flavor but no spice.

More Chinese Recipes

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