An Easy, Flavorful Alternative to Twice-Cooked Pork

When people think about Sichuan-style stir-fried pork dishes, the first dish that often comes to mind is huí guō ròu (回锅肉), also known as twice-cooked pork belly, a staple found on many Sichuan and Chinese restaurant menus worldwide. But its lesser-known cousin, salt-fried pork (yán jiān ròu, 盐煎肉), deserves just as much love. It’s simpler to make, but it is just as satisfying. 

These two dishes use similar ingredients—pork, green garlic (or green pepper) and doubanjiang—but they differ in subtle but important ways. For one thing, yan jian rou uses skinless pork with less fat and is usually made without the sweet wheat paste (tian mian jiang) that gives hui guo rou a hint of sweetness. The real distinction, however, lies in the technique: While hui guo rou is boiled first, and then fried, yan jian rou is just fried, using a method known as raw stir-frying, or sheng bao (生爆). The pork is cooked with salt first, then it is seasoned with douchi (fermented soybeans, or “black beans”) and doubanjiang for a deep, savory flavor that’s unmistakably Sichuanese.

For me, yan jian rou carries a sense of nostalgia. I rarely cook or eat it anymore since I moved away from Sichuan. It was a regular entry on my boarding school canteen’s menu, and whenever it appeared, my classmates and I would line up eagerly with our trays, hoping the dining hall staff would give us an extra spoonful. For hungry teenagers, it was the ultimate rice thief: The pork was slightly caramelized but still tender, coated in a rich, savory red oil that made us down rice by the spoonful. 

You used to find salt-fried pork on pretty much every restaurant menu in Sichuan, but when I was back in Chengdu this May, researching this dish, I discovered that nowadays it is much less popular than hui guo rou. At the neighborhood restaurants I visited, it was often missing from the menu or tucked away in the back. Thankfully, it turned out that the absences didn’t mean people aren’t still eating this dish. For instance, when I went to Tiantian Fandian (天添饭店), a beloved spot in the Yulin district that’s been around for three decades, I didn’t see it listed, but when I asked one of the aunties who worked there if they served yan jian rou, she immediately replied, “With green pepper or green garlic?” I chose the green garlic version without hesitation. When the dish arrived, it looked humble but inviting, just as I remembered it: a rustic-looking plate of pork glistening in red oil, dotted with big, round black douchi. Each bite paired a slice of pork with a strand of green garlic, whose mild sharpness cut beautifully through the rich, savory meat.

Choosing and Slicing Pork for Yan Jian Rou

As Taylor realized when she started making hui guo rou, finding the correct cut of pork for Sichuan dishes can be very tricky if you’re not in China. In Sichuan, home cooks usually buy pork directly from market butchers who know exactly which cut to provide for these two dishes. Purists prefer using er dao rou (二刀肉) or zuo tun rou (坐臀肉), cuts from the upper leg, similar to fresh ham, with a clear separation between fat and lean meat. When sliced and fried, they form a beautiful curl, much like the way pepperoni curls on a pizza. 

Pork belly is also a common and reliable choice, both in homes and in restaurants. This option is easier to get abroad. In Germany, supermarkets often sell pre-sliced pork belly, but I prefer to visit a butcher and ask for a thick slab, about 1½ inches thick. Traditionally, yan jian rou calls for pork that’s mostly lean, with just a little fat, but availability varies. I’ve tried pork belly ranging from 50 to 80 percent lean during testing, and they all work well. 

Thin slicing can be challenging, especially with marbled pork. My trick, borrowed from hotpot prep (and used by many chefs), is to freeze the meat for about 30 minutes before slicing it. The slightly firmed texture makes it easier to cut thin, even pieces. But don’t stress about precision; this is a casual home-style dish, and a few thicker slices won’t hurt the flavor. Some recipes for salt-fried pork call for soy sauce, but after testing several versions, I prefer leaving it out. Let the douchi and doubanjiang shine, which bring plenty of depth and saltiness on their own.

Choosing Greens for Salt-Fried Pork

When I set out to make this dish at home in Berlin, I quickly discovered that green garlic is hard to find in Germany. Following the advice of many Sichuan cookbooks, I use leeks instead. To concentrate the garlicky taste (to approximate the missing ingredient), I also add two cloves of garlic, following a method I saw in a video shot by Chef Wang Gang, a professional chef in Sichuan who has gained millions of followers on YouTube and Chinese social media for his straightforward, technique-focused cooking tutorials. If you prefer a spicier version of the dish, you can opt for green pepper, like er jing tiao, instead. Garlic scapes, green bell peppers and even celery also work well.

For more delicious uses for douchi (fermented soybeans), see Jess and Allen’s Cantonese Clams in Black Bean Sauce (Chizhi Chao Xian, 豉汁炒蜆) and Xueci’s Hunan Pan-Fried Tofu With Black Bean Sauce (Jiaxiang Doufu,家乡豆腐).