Pork belly stir-fry with green chillies, Hunan style

When the edges of the pork belly slices start to curl in the wok, that's my cue to move on to the chillies. By then, the pork has browned in its own fat, and that fat will cook everything else. Allow about 40 minutes, 20 of which the belly spends firming up in the freezer.

This stir-fry comes from Hunan, a province in south-central China whose cooking is known for its chillies. Its Chinese name, nong jia xiao chao rou, means roughly "farmhouse stir-fried pork": an everyday dish, served with plain white rice. There's no cornflour and no sauce to thicken. The flavour comes from the belly, green chillies blistered over a high heat, plenty of garlic and fermented black beans, which bring the salt. The two soy sauces finish the dish, the dark one mostly for colour.

Hunan pork stir-fry with green chillies and black beans

Pork belly rendered in its own fat, green chillies blistered over a high heat, garlic and fermented black beans, all coated in light and dark soy sauce in thirty seconds.

• Prep: 25 min
• Cook: 13 min
• Total: 38 min
• Difficulty: Easy
• Cuisine: Hunan
• For 4 people

For 3 or 4 people, use a 32cm wok: the belly renders its fat without piling up and the chillies blister in one go.

Ingredients

For the stir-fry

• 400g fresh rindless pork belly (not salted or smoked)
• 300g long mild green chillies (padrón or long Turkish green peppers, or the same weight of green pepper)
• 1 to 3 bird's eye chillies (depending on how hot you like it)
• 6 to 8 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp fermented black beans (douchi), dried, from Asian supermarkets

For the seasoning

• 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (optional, or dry sherry)
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce (for colour)

To cook and serve

• 2 tsp neutral oil (groundnut or sunflower), to start the cooking
• 300g jasmine rice (uncooked, to serve)

Equipment

• 32cm carbon steel wok
• Sharp chef's knife and chopping board
• Wok spatula or wooden spatula
• Saucepan or rice cooker
• A plate and a small bowl for the fat

Method

1. Firm up the belly

Put the pork belly in the freezer for 20 minutes: slightly firmer, it slices thinly without squashing under the blade. Meanwhile, rinse 300g jasmine rice and put it on to cook.

2. Prepare the chillies and garlic

Cut the green chillies on the diagonal into 2cm pieces, and remove the seeds if you want them milder. Thinly slice the bird's eye chillies. Crush the garlic cloves with the flat of the knife and chop them roughly. Rinse the black beans in cold water, drain them and chop them roughly with the knife.

3. Slice the belly

Cut the belly into slices 3mm thick and 4 to 5cm long, keeping the fat on: it will melt in the wok.

4. Render the belly

Heat the empty wok over a high heat until it is lightly smoking, pour in 2 tsp oil and turn the heat down to medium. Render the belly in 2 batches: spread out the slices, stir now and then and allow 4 minutes per batch. The fat turns golden and the edges of the slices curl up. Set each batch aside on the plate and leave the fat in the wok.

5. Blister the chillies

If there's more than a thin layer of fat in the bottom of the wok, pour the excess into the small bowl. Turn the heat up to high, add the green chillies and the bird's eye chillies, and stir-fry for 2 minutes, pressing them against the side of the wok. They're ready when their skin blisters and blackens in places.

6. Garlic and black beans

Add the garlic and black beans, then stir for 30 seconds, until the garlic smells fragrant and turns golden. It mustn't brown.

7. Bring it together and serve

Return the pork to the wok with the juices from the plate. If you're using it, pour 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine down the side of the very hot wok, then add 2 tsp light soy sauce and 1 tsp dark soy sauce. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, until the slices are glossy and a deep mahogany brown, and serve straight away with the rice.

Wok tips

• Heating the wok empty until it smokes is fine for a carbon steel wok or a cast iron one. A non-stick wok can't take it: add the oil as soon as you turn on the heat and put the belly in once the oil is hot.
• The belly should sizzle gently. If after 2 minutes it's still white and sitting in clear juice, the batch is too big or the heat too low: take half out and cook it separately.
• On induction, stir-fry with the spatula and press the chillies against the base without lifting the wok: the hob cuts out as soon as the wok leaves it, and the chillies stop blistering. A flat base stays in contact across its whole surface.
• In a new or poorly seasoned wok, the belly sticks before it has rendered its fat. A well-seasoned wok lets it slide, and fatty cooking like this builds up its patina.

Variations

• No fermented black beans: use 2 tablespoons of black bean sauce from a jar for 4 people, added with the soy sauce. Then cut the light soy sauce down to 1 teaspoon, as the jarred sauce is already salty.
• Less fatty: replace half the belly with pork shoulder cut into 3mm slices. Render the belly first, then sear the shoulder for 2 minutes over a high heat in its fat.
• Hotter: replace 100g of the mild chillies with hot green chillies such as jalapeños, cut the same way, and keep the bird's eye chillies.
• No Shaoxing wine: dry sherry replaces it in the same amount. You can also leave it out; the dish holds up without it.

Storage

Keeps for two days in the fridge in an airtight container. Reheat for 1 to 2 minutes in the wok over a high heat, without oil: the fat from the belly is enough. The chillies lose their crunch when reheated, and the rice is best kept separate.

320 kcal, 20 g protein, 5 g carbs, 23 g fat. Per serving, without the rice, cooking oil included and all the fat from the belly counted (a little less if you pour off the excess). With 75g uncooked jasmine rice, add about 260 calories.

The wok for this recipe: The Kumichi Carbon Steel Wok. Carbon steel, Ø 32cm, all hobs including induction.

Frequently asked questions

Which chillies should I use for Hunan pork?

Long, mild green chillies such as padrón or long Turkish green peppers, which you'll find at the greengrocer's or in Asian supermarkets. Failing that, a green pepper cut into 2cm strips makes a very similar dish. The heat comes from the bird's eye chillies: one for a mild dish, three for a hot one.

Where can I buy fermented black beans?

In Asian supermarkets, in bags or tubs, labelled douchi or fermented black beans. They're black soybeans that have been fermented and salted, and the dried kind is better than the ones in brine. Rinse them before use to wash off the excess salt.

Can I use something other than pork belly?

Yes, pork shoulder sliced 3mm thick, which is leaner and stays tender. It releases little fat: for 4 people, use 1 tablespoon of oil instead of 2 teaspoons and sear it for 2 minutes over a high heat rather than rendering it. If you use belly, buy it fresh, never salted or smoked, or the dish will be too salty with the douchi.

Should I keep all the fat from the pork belly?

No. Keep a thin layer in the bottom of the wok, as that's what flavours the chillies, and pour the rest into a bowl. Once cool, this fat keeps in the fridge and is good for stir-frying vegetables.