Twice-Cooked Pork Belly Stir-Fry Recipe

When you get a craving for stir-fry, it is perfectly reasonable to reach for the menu of your preferred takeout vendor. Or, depending on the day, you might leave the couch and visit your favorite local Asian restaurant. A well made stir-fry is a thing of beauty — crunchy, seared vegetables and tender meat are tossed with chewy, perfectly cooked noodles in a mouthwatering sauce and served fresh and piping hot from the pan. While it can be hard to replicate the professional restaurant experience, throwing together a delicious stir-fry is easier than it may seem, even if you don't have a wok at home.

This twice-cooked pork belly stir-fry, from the kitchen of Tasting Table recipe developer Jennine Rye, will give you that restaurant experience from the comfort of your own house. Crispy chunks of pork belly are combined with noodles and veggies, and it's all served in a slightly sweet teriyaki sauce, giving you a decadently rich dinner option. Ready to eat in around half an hour, the time it will take you to prepare and cook this recipe is likely equivalent to the time it would likely take for your takeout to be delivered. Sure, it may require a little more work than making a phone call, but you'll get to enjoy your meal fresh and your vegetables still crunchy instead of receiving a soft and soggy dish in a delivery container. We think that is a definite win.

To begin this twice-cooked pork belly stir-fry recipe, first you will need to gather the ingredients. For the sauce, you will want teriyaki sauce, mirin, soy sauce, honey, and cornstarch. For the stir-fry, you will want pork belly, noodles, vegetable oil, a red bell pepper, baby corn, snow peas, garlic, ginger, and chile flakes. For the noodles, this recipe works well with udon noodles, Vietnamese banh canh noodles, or rice noodles.

In a bowl, add the teriyaki sauce, mirin, soy sauce, honey, and cornstarch.

Mix well and set to one side.

Boil a large saucepan of water.

Add the diced pork belly to the boiling water and cook for 8–10 minutes.

Drain the pork belly and set to one side.

Boil a fresh saucepan of water.

Add the noodles and cook for 10 minutes, or according to the packet instructions, until just soft.

Drain and set aside.

Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or frying pan to a medium-high heat.

Stir-fry the pork belly for 6–8 minutes, until crisp and golden.

Remove from the pan and set to one side.

Add the bell pepper, baby corn, and snow peas, and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes.

Add the garlic, ginger, and chile flakes to the pan and fry for 1–2 minutes, until fragrant.

Add the teriyaki sauce mixture to the pan along with the crispy pork and noodles.

Stir-fry everything for 1–2 minutes, making sure the noodles are well coated with the sauce.

Serve immediately.

Depending on your personal preferences, there are a variety of different noodles that work well with this stir fry. The noodles used by recipe developer Jennine Rye are Vietnamese banh canh noodles, which are made primarily from tapicoa flour. These make a great choice for this dish as they are particularly hearty and dense, so they pair well with the meaty pork belly and the rich sauce. If you enjoy your noodles with a lot of substance, udon noodles also make a great, different option for this stir fry. Egg noodles can similarly be used — think of classic Chinese dishes such as low mein and chow mein, where the egg noodles' thickness holds up well to the rest of the ingredients, creating a hearty and filling stir-fry.

If you are looking for something a lighter noodle so that your stir-fry isn't too heavy, flat rice noodles can also work well. A little lighter and silkier, these noodles are commonly used in pad Thai and will provide a more tender finish to the stir-fry.

Stir-fries are always a great lunch or dinner option when you are looking for something quick and healthy. Packed with protein and vegetables, they are always guaranteed to satisfy. However, you will want to pick your proteins carefully when planning a stir fry, as not all cuts are created equal. This stir-fry uses pork belly, which contains a lot of fat and results in a mouthwateringly rich porcine dish. It also happens to be quite a hardy cut of pork, so it works well when double cooked, creating perfectly finished pork with a crispy outside and soft inside.

If you are looking for a leaner pork option that doesn't require double cooking, why not substitute the pork belly for pork loin? This wonderfully tender cut of meat will offer a lighter yet still protein-packed option for your stir-fry. Pork loin is moist and soft, with a more gentle taste than pork belly that will still give you a delicious and filling meal option. A third option is pork butt, which has a stronger flavor and can run the risk of being tougher. However, if that rich pork flavor is what you are looking for, pork butt is a great substitute.