Chinese · Hunan · main

Farmhouse Stir-Fried Pork (Nong Jia Xiao Chao Rou)

Farmhouse Stir-Fried Pork (Nong Jia Xiao Chao Rou) reads umami 6.9, richness 6.1 and salinity 5.5 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Chinese · Hunan main, about 11 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 7.9 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 4.1 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 1.5 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.5 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 6.9 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.6 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.9 · Richness 6.1 · Salinity 5.5 · Allium 4.1 · Sweetness 4.0 · Funk & Ferment 3.7 · Heat 3.3 · Nutty 2.6 · Smoke 2.1 · Warm Spice 2.0 · Sourness 1.5 · Bitterness 1.4 · Herbaceous 1.1 · Earthy 0.9

What's in it (13)

• pork belly — 350 g
• mild green chinese chillies — 800 g
• peanut oil — 14 g
• fermented black beans — 15 g
• garlic — 12 g
• fresh ginger — 15 g
• fresh red chili pepper — 200 g
• shaoxing wine — 15 g
• soy sauce — 15 g
• soy sauce — 5 g
• caster sugar — 4 g
• chinkiang black vinegar — 5 g
• salt — 3 g

Time & effort: about 11 min · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 134.8 kcal, 2.7 g protein, 12.9 g fat, 2 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (5 steps)

1. Heat a dry wok over high heat, add the oil and the green chillies with a pinch of the salt, and press them against the metal for 2 to 3 minutes, turning, until the skins blister and go patchy brown-black in places and they smell sweet and smoky. Tip them out. Blistering the chillies first, rather than stir-frying them raw at the end, is what separates the farmhouse dish from a generic pork stir-fry.
2. Return the wok to high heat, add the pork belly in one layer and leave it 60 seconds without moving. Stir-fry 4 to 5 minutes until the fat has rendered into a shallow pool and the slices are curled and bronzed at the edges. Pour off all but 1 tbsp of the fat.
3. Turn the heat to medium, add the black beans, garlic and ginger and stir 30 seconds until fragrant.
4. Splash the Shaoxing wine down the side of the wok, then add both soy sauces and the sugar. Return the blistered chillies with the fresh red chillies and toss over high heat 1 minute.
5. Off the heat, add the vinegar around the rim so it hits hot metal and evaporates into the dish rather than pooling. Taste for salt and serve at once with rice. This is gan la, dry heat: salty, sour, hot, and not numbing.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Gochujang Carbonara with Crispy Bacon — Fusion
• Korean Spicy Pork Belly Skillet — Korean
• Spicy Korean Beef and Radish Stew — Korean
• Alheira — Portuguese
• Sausage, Kale, and White Bean Pasta — Italian-American

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.