Twice-Cooked Pork with Black Bean Sauce

Twice-Cooked Pork with Black Bean Sauce

　　Twice-Cooked Pork with Black Bean Sauce

　　　First, use a red-hot branding iron to burn off any remaining hair on the skin of the pork belly, then scrape and clean the meat under cold running water. In a pot, add water and bring the pork belly to a boil, cooking it until it is about 80% done, then remove it. Wipe the water off the skin with a clean cloth, and while the meat is still hot, brush it with sweet rice wine. Heat a wok over high heat, add 500

　　grams of tea oil, and heat it until it is about 80% hot. Place the pork belly in the wok skin-side down to deep-fry until the skin turns red, then remove it from the wok. Next, put the pork belly into a soup pot and simmer briefly until wrinkles appear on the skin, then remove it. Place the pork belly skin-side down on a cutting board, first slicing it into large pieces about 10

　　centimeters long and 1

　　centimeter thick, then make a horizontal cut in the middle of each slice without cutting all the way through. Arrange the sliced pork belly skin-side down neatly in a bowl, with the remaining scraps placed in a trapezoidal pattern around the edge of the bowl. Then evenly add salt, soy sauce, and black beans, steam until the meat is tender and soft, remove it, and invert it onto a plate to serve.

　　Black bean sauce is a distinctive seasoning in Hunan cuisine. Modern Hunan black beans are made from high-quality black soybeans using a unique method of sealed, heated fermentation. They are not only rich in nutrients but also have a glossy color, pure texture, strong flavor, and long-lasting aroma. This dish has a shiny, oily appearance, a rich aroma, is not greasy, and tastes tender and delicious. The pork skin is brownish-red with a marbled pattern, resembling a tiger’s skin, hence it is also called “Tiger Skin Pork.”