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Home ► Recipes ► Chinese (Traditional)

Twice Cooked Pork (Huí Guō Ròu)

Updated: 07.15.23 | Marc Matsumoto | 20 Comments

4.50 from 6 votes
Huí Guō Ròu (回锅肉) literally means "meat returned to pot". The pork belly is boiled once to tenderize and then stir-fried with garlic scapes, tianmianjiang and doubanjiang.
Recipe

It's Cinco de Mayo and you're probably wondering why I'm sharing a Chinese dish with you on this day that General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín led a ragtag band of Mexicans to victory against a French force double it's size. Well, I don't have a good excuse, but I can tell you that this Twice Cooked Pork is AMAZING stuffed into a fresh corn tortilla

Huí Guō Ròu (回锅肉), which literally means "meat returned to pot" is a Sichuan dish. As the name implies, the meat is boiled once before being stir-fried. The idea is that by boiling the fatty pork belly, it not only renders out some of the fat, it also tenderizes the meat. Because the boiling time is so short it's debatable how tender it makes the meat, but what it does do is prime the fat for high-heat cooking.

After being boiled and sliced, the pork belly is stir-fried over high-heat, crisping up the edges, while rendering the fat in the middle melt-in-your-mouth tender. It's seasoned with Doubanjiang, a fiery chili broad bean paste, and a sweet and nutty wheat and fermented soybean paste called Tianmianjiang. Added to the hot pan, the sweet bean sauce instantly caramelizes, glazing each slice of pork with the perfect balance between sweet and spicy, with a lingering savory umami flavor complexity.

While many versions of this dish call for adding other vegetables such as cabbage, bean sprouts or peppers, I like my Twice Cooked Pork much simpler. Garlic scapes and scallions (green onions) are the only vegetables I add, contributing aromatic allium notes while giving the pork center stage.

More Chinese Pork Recipes

  • Siew Yuk (Chinese Roast Pork)
  • Char Siu Pork
  • Sweet and Sour Pork
  • Mapo Tofu

📖 Recipe

Twice Cooked Pork (Huí Guō Ròu)

4.50 from 6 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 35 minutes mins
Yield 2 serving

Units

Ingredients 

  • 320 grams pork belly
  • 1 tablespoon Tianmianjiang (sweet wheat bean paste)
  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • ½ inch fresh ginger (peeled and thinly julienned)
  • 2 teaspoons doubanjiang (chili bean paste)
  • 75 grams garlic scapes (trimmed and chopped into 2-inch pieces)
  • 1 bunch scallions (trimmed and chopped into 2 in. pieces)

Instructions

  • Put the pork belly in a pot that it barely fits in. Add cold water until the pork is completely submerged. Remove the pork, then bring the pot of water to a boil. Add the pork, cover and simmer over medium low heat for 20 minutes.
  • Remove the pork from the liquid, wrap it in foil and then place it in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours. This solidifies the fat, making it easy to slice. You can skim the liquid and use it as a soup base for another dish, or just pour it out.
  • Once the pork is chilled use a sharp knife to slice it into ⅛" (3mm) thick slices.
  • In a small bowl, combine the Tianmianjiang, Shaoxing, soy sauce and sugar.
  • Heat a wok or large sauté pan over high heat until very hot. Add the oil, then add the sliced pork belly. Stir-fry until the pork has started to crisp around the edges.
  • Drain off the excess oil and then push the pork to the edges of the pan. Add the ginger and doubanjiang. Fry until the chili sauce is fragrant (10-15 seconds).
  • Add the garlic sprouts and stir-fry with the pork until the garlic sprouts are cooked through.
  • Add the bowl of sauce along with the scallions and stir-fry until all the liquid has evaporated.
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Comments

    4.50 from 6 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Inez Britz says

    February 22, 2023 at 4:35 am

    5 stars
    Sincere thanks for introducing us to this amazing technique! We've found it an absolute game-changer. Family and friends alike are bowled over, and we share your original with a happy heart

    Reply
    • Marc Matsumoto says

      February 22, 2023 at 8:40 am

      Hi Inez, I'm so happy to hear that your family and friends have been enjoying this. Thank you for taking the time to share!

      Reply
  2. youngpil kim says

    August 06, 2016 at 12:41 am

    dowoore 도움을 주시어 감사합니다.

    Reply
  3. Marc Matsumoto says

    July 18, 2016 at 5:14 pm

    Hi Red, gochujang is not at all like doubanjiang (other than both being spicy), and doenjang is not like tianmianjang at all. If you have hoisin sauce you can substitute it for tianmianjang. Otherwise you could make this with gochujang and doubanjang keeping in mind that you're dish is probably going to taste quite different (not necessarily in a bad way) and you'll need to adjust the amounts as they differ in salinity. As for the shoaxing the closest would be a dry sherry, and sake would be a far away second place. I hope that helps.

    Reply
  4. Red Thomas says

    July 18, 2016 at 4:28 pm

    Hi!
    I'm wondering if substitutions are alright? I already have gochujang and doenjjang, which sound similar to the Chinese condiments. I also do not have shaoxing wine, and wonder if any other kind of cooking wines are similar, or if I should invest. I have aji-mirin, sake, and the American red, white, and sherry. I don't usually cook Chinese food, so I do not have the ingredients on-hand.

    Reply
  5. Indigo_Fremont says

    October 12, 2015 at 4:55 am

    EVERYTHING. Also, add sichuan peppercorns for extra awesome.

    Reply
  6. Marc Matsumoto says

    June 16, 2015 at 12:23 am

    Hi Paul, it's skin off. The relatively short boiling time isn't enough to tenderize the skin. As for over cooking, this goes very fast, so it's important to literally have all the ingredients lined up next to the pan so you can throw one in after the other. You can also try slicing the pork a bit thicker next time.

    Reply
  7. Paul says

    June 16, 2015 at 12:20 am

    Is the skin on or off of the pork belly? Can't tell from the pictures. Cooked this tonight and overlooked the meat. Will have to give it another shot in my wok.

    Reply
  8. Marc Matsumoto says

    June 12, 2015 at 2:35 am

    Hi Roland, tianmianjiang is great in marinades for meats and can go both western or eastern. For instance you can use it as a component of a western BBQ sauce, but it works equally well in stir-fries and marinades.

    Reply
  9. Roland Li says

    June 11, 2015 at 5:18 pm

    Tried this recipe last week and it was really good! I'm going to make it again but I'm wondering what else I can use the sweet bean paste for.

    Reply
    • Aunt Julie says

      January 22, 2021 at 12:06 am

      you could make zhajiangmian with it

      Reply
  10. Patricia says

    June 22, 2013 at 5:44 pm

    That will be our dinner too..

    Reply
  11. Jessie says

    June 22, 2013 at 3:12 pm

    I am looking forward to making Twice Cooked Pork for dinner tonight!

    Reply
  12. Marc Matsumoto says

    May 09, 2013 at 11:39 pm

    Hi Mel, you can substitute with more scallions and add a few cloves of chopped garlic in with the ginger.

    Reply
  13. mel says

    May 09, 2013 at 1:45 pm

    ...and if I can't find 'garlic scapes' (which I doubt I will), what do I use? regular garlic cloves?

    Reply
  14. allpie says

    May 06, 2013 at 5:18 am

    You, good sir, are my idol. Thank you for yet another great recipe 🙂

    Reply
  15. Marc Matsumoto says

    May 06, 2013 at 12:17 am

    Hi Bill, garlic scapes are the scape of a garlic plant. "Scape", is a term used in botany to define any the stalk rising directly from a rhizome (the garlic bulb), which blooms at the end. In the second photo on this page, the the green things on the right (next to the ginger (center) and scallions(left))

    Reply
  16. Marc Matsumoto says

    May 06, 2013 at 12:13 am

    Hi Renee, clicking the ingredients will take you to a page that shows other recipes using that ingredient. Here are the Chinese characters for Doubanjiang 豆瓣酱, and Tianmianjiang 甜面酱

    Reply
  17. upkerry says

    May 05, 2013 at 10:49 am

    what are garlic scapes?

    Reply
  18. Marilia says

    May 05, 2013 at 9:39 am

    Hi there, when I click on the ingredient link is it supposed to take me to a page with more information about the ingredient itself? I guess partially I was looking for the Chinese characters for doubanjiang and tianmianjiang to make sure I get the right things to try this dish sometime. 🙂

    Reply
Marc Matsumoto

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