Welcome, visitor! [ Register | LoginRSS Feed

Cheap International Call from UK
Post a Free Ad
Comments Off

Twice Cooked Pork – Szechuan Pork Stir-Fry

| Signature Dishes | August 28, 2016

Twice Cooked Pork (回锅肉 Huí Guō Ròu, in Chinese language) or Double Cooked Pork Belly is one of the most famous dishes of Szechuan pork recipes. There is an interesting saying that if you do not eat Twice Cooked Pork, then you have never been to Sichuan.

Twice Cooked Pork Belly

Twice Cooked Pork Belly

The English name is literally translated from Chinese name “回锅肉” which means “back-in-the-pot-meat”, and the Chinese name comes from its cooking process: “回” means returning. Twice-cooked pork means that the pork should be cooked twice. Firstly pork is boiled in water until nearly cooked, then use Dou Ban Jiang (豆瓣酱, also known as broad bean paste), fermented black soy beans (豆豉 Dòu Chǐ), ginger, garlic and side ingredients to stir-fry for flavoring. How to identify when the pork is nearly cooked? Here is my tip: use one chopstick to poke the pork from one side to another side to see whether the chopstick meets tough resistance. If there is only small resistance but you can pork the chopstick from one side to another side, then stop boiling and enter the next process. Usually, the boiling process costs 30 minutes for me.

There are several varieties of Twice Cooked Pork. Most of the difference lies in the side ingredients. Some use cabbage or potatoes. But the most popular one in China is garlic sprouts (蒜苗 Suàn Miáo). Since dish color is commonly be considered as one of the five factors in Chinese cooking philosophy, red peppers are always used together, which contributes a beautifully appearance to improve your appetizer.

Ok, this’s a picture of garlic sprouts. If you can not get some, maybe leek can replace it. By the way, it is quite easy to grown your own garlic sprouts at home.

Garlic Sprouts for Double Cooked Pork

Garlic Sprouts for Double Cooked Pork

There are two popular eating methods of Twice Cooked Pork, one is to match with steamed rice and the other one is to insert the pork into Guo Kui (锅盔) which is a type of Baked Chinese bread.

In Szechuan area of China, people use sweet bean paste (甜面酱 Tián Miàn Jiàng) instead of soy sauce for Twice Cooked Pork. But sweet bean paste is quite hard to find outside China. Soy sauce twice cooked pork belly is good enough for most families. Besides, the thickness of the slices will influence the taste slightly. Yes, I mean it. If you cut the pork slices into thicker one around 0.3-0.4 cm, the pork slices will be slightly softer. While if your pork slice is 0.1cm to 0.2cm, they may slightly chewer. Picture below is a thicker version loved by me daughter and the video shows a thinner version loved by my friend.

Twice Cooked Pork

Twice Cooked Pork

Twice Cooked Pork

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Twice Cooked Pork (Double Cooked Pork) from China Sichuan Cuisine.

Ingredients

  • 300g pork belly
  • 1 green onion
  • 4-5 Sichuan peppercorn (optional)
  • 1 small bunch garlic sprout (3-4 ones), end removed and cut into pieces
  • 2 long red chili peppers
  • 1 teaspoon cooking oil
  • 1 inch scallion stalk, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 thumb ginger, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon broad bean paste: dou ban jiang
  • 2 teaspoon dou-chi: fermented black beans
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons light soy sauce

Instructions

1.Place pork belly in a large pot with enough cold water to cover. Add 1 green onion and 4-5 Sichuan peppercorn seeds. Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes. If you are cooking a larger amount, cut the pork belly into sections around 15 cm long (keeping note 1), transfer out and set aside to cool down.

2.Smash the head of garlic sprouts and then cut the head part and leaves into 1.5 inch sections. Remove the seeds of red pepper and cut into pieces too.

3.Heat up around 1 teaspoon of oil in wok (not too much, otherwise the dish might be over greasy), fry the pork belly for around 1-2 minutes (Note 2) until they begin to loose oil and slightly brown.

4.Move the pork slices out and leave oil only, fry ginger, garlic and scallion until aroma. Place dou ban jiang and dou chi, fry for another half minute. Return pork slices and give a big stir fry to combine well.

5.Add red pepper, fry for another half minutes. Lastly, place garlic spouts and light soy sauce. Combine well and transfer out immediately.

6.Serve with steamed rice.

Notes

You can boil a larger amount, for example, 600g once and keep the rest half for another stir frying in following 2 days. Cool down completely and keep in refrigerator, covered with plastic wrapper.

If the pork belly is fatty, frying for a longer time can reduce the oil it contained. However if the pork belly is with lots of lean meat, do not over-fry it. Otherwise, the slices will dry out.

Double Cooked Pork Belly

Double Cooked Pork Belly

Double Cooked Pork

Double Cooked Pork

Gourmet Wok 美食馆
242 Ashley Road
Parkstone
Poole
Dorset
BH14 9BZ
Tel: 01202 740 685

25592 total views, 52 today

Comments Off

Saliva Chicken – Mouthwatering Chicken

| Signature Dishes | August 26, 2016

Saliva Chicken is one of the most famous Sichuan (Szechuan) style chicken dishes – poached chicken in chili sauce (or steamed chicken with chili sauce). Sichuan (Szechuan), is a province in southwest China.

Saliva Chicken

Saliva Chicken

The Chinese name is “口水鸡” (Kou Shui Ji), so it is sometimes translated into Saliva Chicken literally. This name may sound quite weird or uncomfortable. Mouthwatering chicken is a better one. Whenever you get a chance to visit an authentic Szechuan restaurant, order it!!!

The short poaching cooking skill will make the chicken meat super tender and it is also used in Cantonese white cut chicken. After cooking, soak the chicken in iced water can tighten the skin. There are several important tips to make perfect Saliva Chicken at home with tender texture and excellent Szechuan style mala flavor.

About the chicken
I would recommend using whole chicken (younger ones around 2 pounds) for this recipe as a whole chicken offers maximum chicken skin (the best part of this dish).

Clean the chicken and remove feet and head. In a large pot, add chicken, green onion and 3-4 slices of ginger and cooking wine. Then pour enough water to cover the chicken. Bring the content to a boiling with medium fire and continue cooking for around 8 minutes (for longer ones, you may need 10-15 minutes). Turn off the fire, cover the lid and let the chicken stay for around 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken out and soak it with iced water. Turn over several times during the process until the chicken is completely cooled down. Cut chicken into chunks when it is completely cooled down to get smooth edges.

watermouthing chicken

Watermouthing Chicken – cooking step 1

About the chili oil
Szechuan style chili oil is the soul of this dish. Store-bought ones are good enough!! Additionally, chili oil should be prepared firstly because the color of the red oil will become brighter after hours of resting. I list the ingredient for around 1 cup of oil. However we only need around 4 to 6 tablespoons in this recipe. You can use this chili oil in many other Szechuan style dishes like bon bon chicken, or Szechuan style chicken noodle salad.

Watermouthing Chicken

Watermouthing Chicken – cooking step 2

Saliva Chicken – Mouthwatering Chicken

Saliva Chicken – Mouthwatering Chicken – steamed chicken with chili sauce

Saliva Chicken – Mouthwatering Chicken

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Famous Szechuan style chicken salad – mouthwatering chicken

Saliva Chicken – Mouthwatering Chicken - steamed chicken with chili sauce

Saliva Chicken – Mouthwatering Chicken – steamed chicken with chili sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken around 2 pound
  • 4 ginger slices
  • 2 green onions
  • 1 tablespoon cooking wine
  • Peanuts, toasted and crushed
  • White sesame seeds, toasted

Chili oil

  • 2 slices of ginger
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 4-6 dried chili pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn (or powder)
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Other ingredients for the Sauce

  • 4-6 tablespoons Szechuan style chili oil
  • 2 tablespoons black vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoon cooking wine
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1/2 tablespoon minced green onion
  • Minced coriander
poached chicken in chili sauce

口水鸡 Saliva Chicken (poached chicken in chili sauce)

Instructions

Szechuan combined chili oil

1.In a small bowl, mix chili powder, Sichuan peppercorn, five spice powder and sesame seeds.
2.In a pan, add bay leaves, ginger slices, star anise, Sichuan peppercorn(4-5) and dry red peppers, pour in around 1 cup of oil and heat until hot over slowest fire (if the spices are overheated, they become bitter). Discard all the spices and leave the oil only.
3.Pour the hot oil directly to the powder mixture in the small bowl. You will smell the strong aroma during the process. Set the Szechuan combined chili oil aside.

Prepare the chicken

4.Clean the chicken and remove feet and head. In a large pot, add chicken, green onion and 3-4 slices of ginger and cooking wine. Then pour enough water to cover the chicken. Bring the content to a boiling with medium fire and continue cooking for around 8 minutes (see note 1 for the adjusting of the time needed). Turn off the fire, cover the lid and let the chicken stay for around 20 minutes.
5.In a large bowl, prepare enough iced water. Transfer the chicken out and soak it with iced water. Turn over several times during the process until the chicken is completely cooled down. Cut into chunks and lay in the serving bowl.
6.Mix around 4 to 6 tablespoons of chili oil with other ingredients to prepare the sauce.
7.Toast peanuts and white sesame in pan until aroma and then crush with a rolling pin or crusher.
8.Pour the sauce over the chicken, garnish with toasted peanuts and white sesame seeds and enjoy!

Notes
For larger chicken, lengthen the poach time but no longer than 15 minutes.

Learn Chinese via Chinese Food Menu
Saliva Chicken 口水鸡 kǒu shuǐ jī, kǒu shuǐ means saliva.

20836 total views, 2 today

Blog Categories