Twice-cooked pork

Step 1: Put 1 ⅛ lb skin-on pork belly in a pan just big enough to hold it, cover with cold water and add ½ oz fresh ginger and 1 spring onion. Bring to the boil over a high heat and skim off the grey foam.

Step 2: Lower the heat and simmer gently for 25 minutes, until a chopstick slides into the thickest part with only slight resistance and no pink juice comes out. The pork is well past the safe 145°F (145 °F) by now; it should be just cooked, not falling apart.

Step 3: Lift the pork out, let it cool for 10 minutes, then put it in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up. Keep a few spoons of the cooking water.

Step 4: Slice the pork across the layers into pieces about 3 mm thick and 5 cm long, each with a strip of skin, fat and lean. A common mistake is slicing it while still hot, which tears the layers apart.

Step 5: Heat 1 tbsp neutral oil in a wok over a medium heat and add the pork slices in a single layer. Fry for 3–4 minutes, stirring now and then, until the fat turns translucent, some fat renders out and the slices curl into little cup shapes.

Step 6: Push the pork to one side, lower the heat and add 1 ½ tbsp Sichuan chilli bean paste (doubanjiang) to the oil. Stir for 30–40 seconds, until the oil turns red and smells rich, then stir in 1 tsp fermented black beans and 1 tsp sweet bean sauce (tianmianjiang) and toss everything together.

Step 7: Add the white parts of 7 oz leeks or Chinese garlic leeks, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp light soy sauce and stir-fry over a high heat for 1 minute. Add the green parts and toss for 30 seconds more, until just wilted but still bright. If it looks dry, add 1 tablespoon of the cooking water.

Step 8: Taste (the bean paste is salty, so you rarely need salt) and serve hot with steamed rice.