Chichi's Chinese
20121109-chichis-chinese-pork-belly-dish.jpg

[Photograph: Chichi Wang]

Adapted from Land of Plenty by Fuchsia Dunlop.

About the author: Chichi Wang took her degree in philosophy, but decided that writing about food would be much more fun than writing about Plato. She firmly believes in all things offal, the importance of reading great books, and the necessity of three-hour meals. If she were ever to get a tattoo, it would say "Fat is flavor." Visit her blog, The Offal Cook.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

About This Recipe

Yield: 4 as a main dish in a multi-course meal
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Special equipment: wok

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces fresh boneless pork belly, skin on
  • 1 medium-sized leek or 5 green onions, both white and green parts
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons chiil bean paste
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons fermented black beans
  • 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Procedures

  1. Slice the pork very thinly, into rectangles about 3 by 2 inches. Cut the leeks on a sharp bias into 1-inch slices. If you are without a razor-sharp knife, freeze the pork belly for 20 minutes prior to slicing.

  2. Swirl the oil into the wok and place over high heat until shimmering but not yet smoking. Add the slices of pork and stir-fry until the pork is lightly browned and has lost much of its water content, about 4 minutes.

  3. When the oil begins to sizzle, move aside the pork slices, grouping them as best you can on one side of the wok. Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat. Lower the heat to medium-low. Add the chili bean paste and fermented black beans into the pool of fat in the center of the wok and stir-fry until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Then allow the pork slices to re-enter the oily mixture, and stir-fry vigorously to incorporate, adding the soy sauce and sugar. Add the leeks or green onions. Continue to stir-fry just until the leeks/green onions are just cooked, about 1 minute. Taste the pork and season with salt if needed. Serve immediately.