Pork and Peppers: Two Recipes for Twice-Cooked Pork

I eat far less pork than I used to before. I used to eat it every week until I watched Food Inc. Now, I only eat it once a month when I bother to spend a pretty penny at Prather Ranch Meat for a humanely-raised slab of pork belly. But, this blog isn't about my porky ethics. I'm living in the moment writing this blog and pork is oh so delicious—let me count the ways. Pork marries well with peppers! Pork is divine with Pinot! Pork is always heavenly as bacon. Pork belly is one of life's finer pleasures to be enjoyed in moderation.

So let's get to the pork and peppers. I learned how to cook an easy recipe for twice-cooked pork (huí guō ròu, 回锅肉) from a sweet and shy mother in Suijiang, China called Liu Ayi. Her husband, Chen Shifu, put on a cheerful spirit and rolled about the garage/living room in his wheelchair being the best host he could be. Meanwhile Liu Ayi hardly cracked a smile. Life appeared to have a heavy dose of hardship in the Chen family's life. No one spoke of how Chen Shifu found himself in a wheelchair and I didn't ask. Liu Ayi taught me how to cook four dishes while her husband directed a little from the side. When I took their family photo, I never managed to take a focused shot of the whole family smiling at once, but I'll take a blurry photo of smiles over a somber portrait of reality. Sometimes, we want to be remembered at our best.

Get Liu Ayi's twice-cooked pork recipe

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After learning how to cook this dish and eating the dish more times than I can remember, I realized Liu Ayi's version didn't have the fermented black beans that give it some of its soul. I've created my own easy recipe for twice-cooked pork that's got the pork, peppers, chili bean paste and fermented black beans. This is one of my favorite dishes that I'm happy to have as one of my own family's favorite recipes. After you've tried making my recipe or Liu Ayi's version, let me know what you think! Feel free to comment with any questions.

Get the recipe for Twice-cooked Pork