Stir-fried Houttuynia Cordata with Cured Pork Belly
The unique aroma of houttuynia cordata blends with savory cured pork belly, creating a crisp, refreshing, and flavorful home-style dish from Sichuan and Guizhou cuisines.
Ingredients
9 items- Houttuynia cordata (fish mint) 200 g
- Chinese cured pork belly 150 g
- Dried red chilies 5-6
- Garlic sprouts 2 stalks
- Ginger 3 slices
- Garlic 3 cloves
- Cooking oil 1 tbsp
- Light soy sauce 1 tsp
- Sugar a pinch
Nutrition
Steps （6 steps）
Prepare ingredients: Trim houttuynia, wash and cut into 3 cm segments. Wash cured pork belly with warm water and slice thinly. Cut dried chilies into sections, diagonally cut garlic sprouts, slice ginger and garlic.
Blanch cured pork: Bring a pot of water to boil, add pork belly slices and blanch for 2 minutes to remove excess salt and fat, then drain.
Render pork fat: Heat a wok over medium heat. Add pork slices directly (no extra oil) and stir-fry until they release oil and edges curl, about 1 minute. Remove and set aside.
Aromatics: In the remaining oil, add dried chilies, ginger slices, and garlic slices. Sauté on medium heat for about 30 seconds until chilies slightly darken but not black.
Stir-fry houttuynia: Turn heat to high, add houttuynia segments and garlic sprouts. Quickly stir-fry for about 1 minute until houttuynia turns darker and slightly translucent but still crisp.
Combine and season: Return the pork to the wok, add light soy sauce and sugar. Stir-fry on high heat for 30 seconds to combine well. Remove from heat and serve.
Tips
Do not overcook houttuynia to keep its crispness; blanching the pork reduces saltiness and makes it tender; no extra oil needed when rendering the pork.
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