Twice-cooked pork dry noodles

10 July 2026

Serves 2

Pork

• 300–400 g skin-on pork belly slab
• 2–3 slices ginger
• 1 spring onion, optional
• Splash of Shaoxing wine, optional

Sauce / stir-fry

• 1–2 tbsp doubanjiang chilli bean paste, ideally Pixian-style
• 1 tbsp douchi fermented black beans, roughly chopped
• 1–2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce, optional, for colour
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1–2 tsp Chinkiang vinegar, optional but good
• 1–2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ginger, minced
• 1 leek, garlic shoots, cabbage, capsicum, or spring onions
• Neutral oil

Noodles

• 2 serves wheat noodles
• A little sesame oil or chilli oil, optional

Method

1. Poach the pork belly
   Put the pork belly in cold water with ginger, spring onion and Shaoxing wine if using. Bring to a simmer and cook for 25–40 minutes, depending on thickness. It should be firm but pierceable.
2. Cool and slice
   Take it out and cool it until it firms up. Slice thinly, around 2–4 mm. Thin slices matter.
3. Cook the noodles
   Boil the noodles until just done, then drain. Toss with a tiny bit of oil so they do not clump.
4. Render the pork
   Heat a wok or pan with a little oil. Add pork slices and fry until the edges curl and the fat starts to render. This should take 3–6 minutes.
5. Build the sauce
   Push pork aside. Add doubanjiang and fry it in the oil until it stains the oil red and smells good. Add douchi, garlic and ginger. Fry briefly.
6. Add veg
   Add leek/garlic shoots/cabbage/spring onions and stir-fry until just softened.
7. Season
   Add soy sauce, dark soy if using, sugar, and a small splash of vinegar. Taste before adding more salt, because doubanjiang and douchi are already salty.
8. Toss with noodles
   Add noodles and toss hard until coated. Add a splash of noodle water if it is too dry, but keep it mostly dry/oily rather than soupy.