Thanks for the opportunity to share one of my favorite recipes, from the 1970s Sunset Chinese Cookbook. My cousin, who spent a while in Hong Kong, always asks me to have the ingredients on hand whenever he comes to visit so we can collaborate. The “twice-cooked” refers to stewing the pork several hours before, chilling, then slicing thinly and stir-frying with the veggies and sauce.
The day before (or morning of), put 1 lb boneless pork (originally called for a single piece, but I often use boneless chops) in a large saucepan, along with 1 of the green onions (cut in half), a 1” piece of ginger root (crushed with the side of a cleaver) and 1 Tbsp sherry. Barely cover with water, bring to a simmer and cook until meat is tender when pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes. Remove meat from broth and chill; strain broth and save for another use, if desired.
After meat is thoroughly chilled, begin cooking 4 servings of your preferred rice. Trim meat and slice into approximately 1-½” x 1-½” x 1/8” slices. Combine 2 tsp hot bean sauce, 4 tsp sweet bean or hoisin sauce, 1 Tbsp soy sauce and 1 tsp sugar. Seed 2 small (or 3 halves of larger) sweet peppers and cut into 1” square pieces. Cut the 2 remaining green onions into 1” lengths. Combine 2 tsp (about 2 cloves) minced garlic and 1 tsp minced ginger.
Heat 2 Tbsp oil in wok or large frying pan over high heat. When pan is hot, add the peppers & stir-fry 1-½ minutes, adding a few drops water if pan appears dry. Sprinkle with salt, stir once, then remove peppers. Add 1 more Tbsp oil to the pan; when hot, add garlic & ginger, stir once, then add pork slices and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add bean sauce mixture and toss until pork is coated. Return peppers to pan, along with green onions, and cook around 30 seconds to heat through. Makes 4 servings (and great leftovers!).
What’s for dinner in your world?