"How is pork belly wrong? Aren't they all half-fat and half-lean meat?" Zhou Jie followed into the kitchen, humbly seeking guidance.
Now, in his mind, Zhou Yan was already a master of Sichuan cuisine.
Not to be outdone, Aunt Zhao also followed into the kitchen. Twice-cooked pork was her specialty, her secret weapon for controlling the kitchen in the Zhou family.
If Zhou Yan wanted to seize power, she… had to taste it first before deciding whether to give it to him.
"The fat between the skin and lean meat of the second cut pork only needs to be cooked for twenty minutes; it's tender yet crisp. The sinewy part between the skin and lean meat of the pork belly needs to be cooked much longer to soften; otherwise, it'll be mushy and chewy. It's suitable for braised pork and steamed pork." Zhou Yan explained with a smile.
"There's such a thing?"
Aunt Zhao and Zhou Jie both seemed thoughtful. When they made twice-cooked pork, they would buy whatever meat the butcher had on hand; if they didn't have pork belly, they'd buy pig's head meat—it tasted good after being stir-fried twice anyway.
"Brother Jie, start the fire." Zhou Yan called to Zhou Jie to help.
"Alright!" Zhou Jie consciously moved to the back of the stove, stuffed a bundle of straw into it, and pumped the bellows twice. The remaining embers immediately ignited the straw.
Zhou Yan scooped two ladles of cold water into the pot, added a flattened piece of ginger and a few sections of scallion, then cut the cleaned second cut pork into three-finger-widths and six-centimeters long pieces, and added them to the pot.
"Three-finger-widths is enough for the meat; if it's too thick, it won't cook through. Add scallions and ginger to the pot, then add the meat to cold water. Boil it until the blood water and scum rise to the surface, skimming off any foam. The meat will then have almost no bloody taste." Zhou Yan explained to the two as he cooked.
While the meat was cooking, Zhou Yan also prepared the other ingredients.
The shop used Pixian bean paste, categorized by age. Older bean paste has a longer fermentation time, resulting in a richer, more savory flavor, but its color is darker. Using it to stir fry twice-cooked pork will turn it black, making the color less appealing.
So he used fresh fermented bean paste, which scooped out and chopped finely; it's all about the color of the twice-cooked pork.
"You even went out of your way to buy sweet bean sauce? Can't you just use white sugar?" Aunt Zhao asked curiously, looking at the opened sweet bean sauce beside Zhou Yan's hand.
"Sweet bean sauce helps cut through the grease and enhances the aroma. While white sugar also adds flavor, too much can make it cloying." Zhou Yan explained.
The garlic sprouts were washed, and the large, fleshy ends were gently smashed with a knife. They were then sliced diagonally, tapering to the ends, to maximize the release of their flavor. The white and green parts of the sprouts were separated.
The second cut pork was boiled for about twenty minutes. When a chopstick could easily pierce the lean meat, it was about six or seven tenths cooked. It was then removed and sliced.
"This step of slicing the meat is very important. Watch closely, the meat should be sliced to about two millimeters thick, roughly the size of a coin. Too thick, and it won't absorb the flavor well and will be too greasy; too thin, and it will curl up in the wok, and the fat will turn into cracklings that are too tough to chew." Zhou Yan picked up a piece of meat. "The best state is when the meat is still slightly undercooked in the middle."
Aunt Zhao and Zhou Jie listened and watched intently, hands tucked in front of them, like two young apprentices.
They don't know why, but normally when they stir-fry twice-cooked pork, it's a quick and easy dish, delicious with rice. But after Zhou Yan explained it, the dish suddenly seemed more sophisticated.
Zhou Yan didn't finish the 1 jin 2 liang of pork in one wok; he saved 4 liang (approximately 200 grams) to cook later that evening, for it to be fresher and more delicious.
"Turn the heat up a bit, but not too high. First, add the rapeseed oil, then pour in the sliced meat and stir-fry over middle low heat. See, it shrinks instantly, turning into a perfect 'lamp-shaped' shape." Zhou Yan stirred the curled meat slices, pushing them to the side. He first cooked and fragrant the finely chopped fermented bean paste in the oil at the bottom of the wok, then stir-fried it with the meat.
The originally white meat slices instantly turned a bright red color.
He added a spoonful of sweet bean sauce and stir-fried until fragrant, then added the garlic sprout heads and stir-fried, finally adding the garlic sprout leaves. After a few stirs, he removed it from the wok and plated it.
The bright red slices of pork curled up like lamp-shaped, glistening with oil, while the white garlic sprouts and green garlic sprout leaves blended together to create a perfect dish of Twice-cooked Pork With Garlic Sprouts.
The rich aroma of twice-cooked pork, mingled with the fragrance of garlic sprouts, wafted up with the steam.
"Gulp."
Aunt Zhao and Zhou Jie swallowed simultaneously.
"It smells so good! I want to see too!"
Zhou Momo also came running after smelling the aroma, crowding around the stove and standing on tiptoe to get a peek.
She was too small; even on tiptoe, she couldn't reach the stove, and couldn't see what was in the plate, which made her very anxious.
"Look, your brother made Twice-cooked Pork With Garlic Sprouts. We're having meat for lunch today." Zhao Tieying said with a smile, scooping her up.
"Wow, it looks so delicious! Guo Guo is so amazing!" Zhou Momo clapped her hands, already swallowing hard.
"Come on, take it out, Eat!" Zhou Yan carried the generous plate of twice-cooked pork out of the kitchen.
Zhao Hong and Zhou Jie brought out rice and bowls, each giving out a pair of chopsticks.
Besides the twice-cooked pork, they also got two bowls of cross-legged beef and a bowl of boiled cabbage as a vegetarian dish.
However, the star of today's lunch was undoubtedly the plate of Twice-cooked Pork With Garlic Sprouts placed on the center of the table.
It looked excellent, and the aroma was irresistible; it was somewhat different from the twice-cooked pork they usually made.
"Don't just look, pick up your chopsticks!" Zhou Yan said with a smile.
"I'll try it first." Aunt Zhao picked up her chopsticks, first taking a piece of twice-cooked pork, which still had a piece of garlic sprout wrapped inside. She picked it up and shook it; it was very elastic, glistening with oil.
The first bite reveals a fragrant and chewy skin, melt-in-your-mouth fatty meat, and lean meat that's not dry at all, even offering a slightly springy texture. One bite is rich yet not greasy, fragrant yet not cloying.
The garlic sprouts sandwiched in the middle, when bitten into, release a unique aroma that blends perfectly with the twice-cooked pork—the taste is simply unbeatable!
Aunt Zhao held her empty chopsticks, savoring the taste for a moment, the aroma lingering on her lips and teeth.
"Delicious! From now on, you'll be in charge of making twice-cooked pork at home." Aunt Zhao said to Zhou Yan, a hint of melancholy mixed with satisfaction.
This was her specialty, a dish she had prepared for twenty years, yet today she was relinquishing the culinary authority.
But Zhou Yan took over, and produced such a delicious Twice-cooked Pork With Garlic Sprouts—she couldn't refuse.
She even…wanted to learn how.
This was even better than the village chef's in the village banquet. The village chef used pork belly, and the texture was indeed inferior to Zhou Yan's using second cut pork.
"Fourth Aunt, you're convinced already? Let me try." Zhou Jie picked up a piece of twice-cooked pork and put it in his mouth, his expression first shock, then intoxication, and finally amazement.
This twice-cooked pork is so fragrant! He couldn't think of any better words to describe it. The meat was tender yet slightly chewy, and the garlic sprouts were incredibly fragrant.
The savory flavor was subtly sweet, a complex taste that was intoxicating and made him want to shovel rice into his mouth.
Zhou Jie picked up his bowl and shoveled down two mouthfuls of rice. The fragrant steamed rice paired with the twice-cooked pork was simply divine.
"Zhou Yan, from now on, for every family gathering, you have to make the twice-cooked pork. Grandma want cooks also can't!" Zhou Jie looked at Zhou Yan with a serious expression.
He would call it the most delicious twice-cooked pork ever!
Without a doubt.
"You'll have to tell Grandma that next time." Zhou Yan said with a smile.
"The pork is so delicious! I want to eat three bowls of rice!" Zhou Momo had already started eating, her cheeks bulging as she chewed the meat, her little head bobbing up and down, thoroughly enjoying herself.
She was too young to know how to describe how delicious it was.
But the pork was very fragrant, better than her mother's, and not as spicy.
Zhou Miao and Zhao Hong also praised it repeatedly, saying it was the best twice-cooked pork they had ever eaten.
Zhou Yan finally picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of twice-cooked pork, and rolled it up with a garlic sprout—the proper way to eat it.
With one bite, his eyes narrowed slightly as he savored the subtle changes the meat underwent on his lips and teeth. This sensation was fascinating, like a replay in a memory.
The exquisite texture of the second cut pork, the precise knife skills, the perfect cooking time, and the flawless seasonings ultimately resulted in this dish of wonderfully flavorful and uniquely aromatic Twice-cooked Pork With Garlic Sprouts.
He did it!
Perfect Twice-cooked Pork With Garlic Sprouts, done!