TWICE-COOKED PORK BELLY or 回(Huí)锅(Guō)肉(Ròu)

MAIN INGREDIENTS: pork belly; green garlic; dried red pepper; numbing pepper corns; and Pixian bean paste.

TASTE and TEXTURE: the taste is definitely unique; the pork belly slices aren’t greasy, though, and the dish as a whole serves up a strong bean paste taste.

HISTORY: 回(Huí)锅(Guō)肉(Ròu) can be traced back to the Northern Song Dynasty though no reliable sources have been found that establish the exact timeline of this dish’s conception and rise in popularity. It was, however, during the Ming Dynasty that the 回(Huí)锅(Guō)肉(Ròu) fried style became more established. The creation of bean pastes during the later periods of the Qing Dynasty greatly improved upon the taste and quality of this dish, leading to its inclusion as a classic Sichuan dish.