This Hunan pork belly recipe was suggested by a friend and is adapted from a recipe by UK based site, School of Wok. It’s delicious.
This dish belongs to a family of Hunan stir-fries known as xiao chao rou (小炒肉), literally “small stir-fried pork.” There are many variations, but the combination of fatty pork, fresh green chilies and fermented black beans is classic Hunan cooking.
One of the keys is charring the green chilies in a dry wok before the stir-fry begins. That simple step gives the peppers a smoky, slightly blistered flavor that works beautifully with the richness of the pork belly.
Getting the chilies ready:
The chilies are cooked using a technique called 虎皮 (hǔ pí), “tiger skin.” Where fresh peppers are sliced and seared over high heat in a dry wok until their skins blister and develop dark, irregular patches. It gives the peppers a slightly smoky flavor while softening their raw bite — and those blistered green chilies are one of the things that makes this Hunan-style dish so distinctive. After searing, just set them aside.
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Ingredients:
1 lb Pork Belly, sliced
5 long Green Chilies, sliced into 2 inch pieces.
5 Thai Prik Noi Chillies, medium hot, sliced in half.
5 Garlic cloves, chopped
2 inch piece Ginger, peeled and sliced
3 Tbsp fermented Black Beans, rinsed and crushed
3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
Sauce:
1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 Tbsp Shaoxing Wine
1 tsp Chinkiang Black Vinegar
1/2 tsp Chicken Powder – See note.
Preparation:
Heat the oil in the wok until almost smoking.
Add the pork belly and cook until the meat begins to brown around the edges. You want the pork belly well rendered.
Remove the pork belly, pour off a bit of the oil if you feel it’s too much and increase the heat and stir in the ginger and garlic until fragrant. It won’t hurt if you leave it in, as Hunan dishes tend to use a decent amount of oil.
Add the charred chillies to the wok with the crushed fermented black beans and stir-fry briefly.
Add the sauce and then add back the cooked pork. Add an extra splash of black vinegar and toss. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.
Note: Chicken powder is a concentrated chicken seasoning used throughout Chinese cooking to add savory flavor and umami.
Hunan Pork Belly with Seared Peppers – Xiao Chao Rou
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- The chilies are cooked using a technique called 虎皮 (hǔ pí), “tiger skin.” Where fresh peppers are sliced and seared over high heat in a dry wok until their skins blister and develop dark, irregular patches. After searing, just set them aside.
- Heat the oil in the wok until almost smoking.
- Add the pork belly and cook until the meat begins to brown around the edges. You want the pork belly well rendered.
- Remove the pork belly, pour off a bit of the oil if you feel it’s too much and increase the heat and stir in the ginger and garlic until fragrant. It won’t hurt if you leave it in, as Hunan dishes tend to use a decent amount of oil.
- Add the charred chillies to the wok with the crushed fermented black beans and stir-fry briefly. Add the sauce and then add back the cooked pork. Add an extra splash of black vinegar and toss. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.
- Note: Chicken powder is a concentrated chicken seasoning used throughout Chinese cooking to add savory flavor and umami.
