Twice Cooked Pork with Spicy Vegetables
Submitted by ziggy2652
Chinese twice-cooked pork with black mushrooms, bean curd, bamboo shoots, and bell peppers in a soy-ginger sauce. Simmered first, then stir-fried for tender, flavorful slices.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
50 minREADY
1 hrsTwice-cooked pork is a classic Chinese technique where the meat is simmered first to cook it through and tenderize it, then cooled and sliced thin before hitting a blazing hot wok for a fast stir-fry. The result is pork that’s silky and tender inside with lightly crisped edges.
Black trumpet mushrooms soaked in warm water bring an earthy, smoky depth that dried chili peppers, fresh ginger, and garlic amplify. The mushroom soaking liquid becomes part of the sauce, carrying all that concentrated umami flavor into every bite.
Every vegetable gets cut to match: bell pepper, bamboo shoots, carrots, and bean curd all sliced into the same size rectangles. This isn’t just for looks. Uniform pieces cook at the same rate, so nothing is raw or overdone when the dish hits the plate.
Pro Tips
- Cool the pork completely in its cooking liquid before slicing. Hot pork shreds and falls apart. Cold pork slices clean and thin.
- Get the wok smoking hot before adding oil. If the wok isn’t hot enough, the pork steams instead of searing.
- Parboil the carrots separately for just one minute. Raw carrots stay crunchy long after everything else is done.
- Push ingredients up the sides of the wok before adding the cornstarch slurry. This lets you thicken the sauce without coating the vegetables in gloppy starch.
Variations
- Szechuan style: Add a tablespoon of doubanjiang (fermented chili bean paste) for authentic Szechuan heat and funk.
- With noodles: Serve over lo mein noodles instead of rice for a heartier meal.
- Tofu only: Skip the pork and double the bean curd for a vegetarian version with the same sauce and technique.
Ingredients
Directions
Preparation: In saucepan, cover pork butt with water, bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add more hot water if level goes below pork.
Cool pork in its cooking water.
Wash, then soak mushrooms in warm water for 1 hour.
Squeeze liquid from mushrooms, reserving liquid.
Discard mushroom stems, and halve mushrooms.
Halve, seed and core bell pepper; cut into pieces about 1” by 1 ½".
Slice bamboo to match bell pepper. Peel carrot; slice on bias into ovals.
Remove pork from cooking water, and parboil carrots in water for 1 minute.
Slice ⅔ of pork butt into rectangles same size as bell pepper.
Save remaining ⅓ for another dish.
Strain mushroom liquid; combine specified amount with soy sauce, sugar and salt.
Drain bean curd, rinse in cold water, and slice same size as bell pepper.
Stir-fry: Add oil to very hot wok.
When oil begins to smoke, stir- fry mushrooms, garlic and ginger for 1 minute.
Add bell pepper, bamboo shoots, carrots and pork; stir-fry for 1 minute.
Add bean curd and mushroom liquid; bring to boil.
On medium heat, cover wok and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until bell pepper is bright green and crisp.
Push ingredients up side of wok.
Restir thick cornstarch paste, then dribble into liquid until it thickens; cook briefly while stirring.
Recombine with ingredients. Serve.
Comments
