Sichuan Garlic Sliced Pork
Sichuan Garlic Sliced Pork is a classic cold dish in Sichuan cuisine. Thinly sliced fatty pork belly, drenched in a pungent garlicky sauce with a kick of chili and Sichuan peppercorn. It's refreshing, mouth-numbing, and utterly addictive.
Ingredients
13 items- Pork belly with skin 500 g
- Garlic 5 cloves
- Ginger 1 piece (20 g)
- Green onions 2
- Cooking wine (Shaoxing wine) 2 tbsp
- Light soy sauce 2 tbsp
- Black vinegar 1 tbsp
- Sugar 1 tsp
- Ground Sichuan pepper 1/2 tsp
- Chili oil 2 tbsp
- Sesame paste (tahini) 1 tbsp
- Toasted white sesame seeds 1 tbsp
- Salt to taste
Nutrition
Steps （6 steps）
Clean and scrape the skin of the pork belly. Place it in cold water with ginger slices, green onion sections, and cooking wine. Bring to a boil over high heat, skim off the foam, then reduce to medium-low heat and cook for about 30 minutes until a chopstick can easily pierce the thickest part and no blood oozes out.
Transfer the cooked pork belly to an ice water bath and let it soak for 10 minutes to tighten the meat, making it easier to slice thinly. Drain and pat dry.
Prepare the garlic sauce: mash garlic cloves into a fine paste and put in a bowl. Add light soy sauce, black vinegar, sugar, ground Sichuan pepper, chili oil, sesame paste, and a pinch of salt. Stir until combined. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved pork cooking broth and continue stirring until the sesame paste is fully incorporated and the sauce is smooth.
Using a sharp knife, slice the chilled pork belly as thinly as possible, about 2-3 mm thick. If you lack knife skills, freeze the meat for 15 minutes before slicing to make it easier to cut into thin, unbroken slices.
Arrange the sliced pork neatly on a serving plate, either rolled into rolls or laid flat. Drizzle the garlic sauce evenly over each slice, ensuring all the meat is coated.
Garnish with toasted white sesame seeds, chopped green onions, or cilantro. Serve immediately. For extra flavor, dip each slice in the sauce accumulated at the bottom of the plate.
Tips
1. Choose pork belly with a good balance of fat and lean; too fatty will be greasy, too lean will be dry. 2. The pork must be plunged into ice water right after cooking to tighten the skin and fat, enabling delicate translucent slices. 3. Freshly made garlic paste gives the best flavor. 4. Sesame paste adds body and aroma; it can be omitted if unavailable. 5. For best aroma, make your own chili oil by pouring hot oil over chili flakes with a few Sichuan peppercorns and sesame seeds.
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