Eye appealing Sichuan style pork slices have a wonderful combined taste featured by garlic sauce and Sichuan style red oil. In the previous post, Elaine introduced a way of making super great taste Chinese red oil. I have been staying in my hometown with my family recently and get completely inspired by a family dinner in a local restaurant, which is famous for its Sichuan style cold dishes. Their most popular dishes include this one and the cold spicy fish fillet salad. If you have one jar of Chinese red oil, this dish can be quite quick in the following summer days.
What part of pork to use
The key point of this dish is to choose meat with both fat and lean meat. In China, we usually sue Ham leg (shown as part 7) to make Sichuan style pork slices in garlic sauce because it contains nearly a ratio of 3:7 (fat vs lean meat). Pork belly contains too much fat but it can work fine too. If you want to use pork belly, choose the leaner strip.
The Chinese name of this dish is “蒜(suàn)泥(ní)白(bái)肉(ròu)”; literally mean pork slices in garlic sauce. In Sichuan area, restaurants usually use the hind leg meat. But it is ok to use pork belly or other part as long as there are both lean meat and fat.
Instructions
Firstly place the pork belly or hind leg in cold water, add ginger slices, green onion and Sichuan peppercorn and then heat to boil. Slightly slow the fire to medium and cook for around 30 minutes to 40 minutes.
Transfer out and cool down to warm. Cut the pork into slices, as thin as possible. Place smashed cucumber in the bottom of the serving plate and then lay the pork slices.
During the cooking time, smash the garlic and let the garlic set for a while. Then add black vinegar (not for sour taste, but to remove the oily feeling), sesame oil, ginger and spring onion, sweetened soy sauce, low salt soy sauce and chili oil. Mix well. 
Spread the sauce evenly over the dish. You can assemble two plates of pork slices with this batch. Save the sauce for the remaining half.
Salad, Side Dish
Sichuan cuisine
pork
-
500
g
pork hind leg or pork belly -
1
thumb
ginger
, smashed -
2
large onion sections or spring onion sections
, smashed -
1
tbsp.
Shaoxing cooking wine -
1/2
tsp.
Sichuan peppercorn -
1
Long cucumber
, hard skin removed and smashed
-
5-8
garlic cloves
, smashed -
1
tsp.
green onion
, minced -
1
tsp.
minced ginger -
2
tbsp.
sweetened soy sauce -
1
tbsp.
low sodium soy sauce or water for boiling the pork
, I recommend using Lee Kum Lee low sodium soy sauce. -
1-3
tbsp.
Chinese red oil
, divided. Some of chili oil mixed with the sauce and the remaining for drizzling. -
1
tsp.
black vinegar -
1
tbsp.
sesame oil
-
Firstly place the pork belly or hind leg in cold water, add ginger slices, green onion and Sichuan peppercorn and then heat to boil. Slightly slow the fire to medium and cook for around 30 minutes to 40 minutes.
-
Transfer out and cool down to warm. Cut the pork into slices, as thin as possible. Place smashed cucumber in the bottom of the serving plate and then lay the pork slices.
-
During the cooking time, smash the garlic and let the garlic set for a while. Then add black vinegar (not for sour taste, but to remove the oily feeling), sesame oil, ginger and spring onion, sweetened soy sauce, low salt soy sauce and chili oil. Mix well.
-
Spread the sauce evenly over the dish. You can assemble two plates of pork slices with this batch. Save the sauce for the remaining half.
Calories from Fat 1377
It can be also made with pork belly.
Source: China Sichuan Food
