Suan Ni Bai Rou is a traditional Sichuan dish that translates to “garlic paste white meat.” The white color of the sliced poached pork belly before the addition of the sauce explains why the name isn’t the best. Some use peanut-based sauces with a slightly thicker consistency, while others rely more heavily on oil. The best of both worlds, with less oil, is what I’ve found in this recipe.
You should be fine if you follow your night of debauchery with a healthy green salad for lunch the next day and some extra time on the treadmill.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounce of slab of pork belly
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 tablespoons of roasted peanuts
- 2 to 3 dried red chilis
- 1 tablespoon of cilantro
- 1 tablespoon of oil
- 1 tablespoon of chili oil
- 1 scallion
- 1 teaspoon of salt (plus more if necessary)
- 1 teaspoon of peanut butter
- ½ teaspoon of spicy bean paste
- 1 teaspoon of soy sauce
Instructions:
- Bring two quarts of water and a teaspoon of salt to a boil in a small pot. Slowly boil some water and place the pork belly in it (just above a simmer). Cover and bake for 45 minutes or until pork is easily shredded with a fork. Take out the pork and serve it. (Save the pork stock you just made to use in a soup, noodle dish, or other dishes down the road.)
- Chopping the cilantro and scallion ahead of time will allow you to focus on the pork while it cooks. The garlic cloves should be minced finely or pressed through a garlic press and set aside. You should also chop some peanuts and put them aside.
- The dried chilies should be broken up and toasted in a pan with 1 tablespoon of oil for a few minutes. Combine the chili oil in a tiny bowl. Then, stir half of the minced garlic, the remaining minced garlic, the chili oil, and the spicy bean paste in the soy sauce.
- Combine everything thoroughly. You can make this recipe your own by changing the proportions of the staple ingredients. Really, there is no order to this place. The sauce gets thinner and has more flavor when I add some of the pork broth. Leave the sauce on the side.
- Prepare to cut the pork into slices. The pork should be sliced while still warm and as thinly as possible. The slices in the photo are a little too thick because we were in a rush. You can either plate the pork in slices like I did or toss it with the sauce. Make sure the salt level is right by tasting it.
- The remaining minced garlic was piled on top, along with the scallion, cilantro, and crushed peanuts. Serve!