Cross-Cultural · China

Chungking Pork (重庆猪肉)

Name: Chungking Pork (重庆猪肉)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes
Total time: 27 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 3/4 lb pork tenderloin, sliced crosswise 1/8 inch thick (340g); 2 tsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry; 4 tsp cornstarch, divided; 2 tbsp fermented black beans, coarsely chopped; 1 tsp crushed red pepper, or to taste; 3 tbsp hoisin sauce; 2 tsp dark soy sauce; 4 tbsp canola or vegetable oil, divided; 1/2 lb green cabbage, cut into 1.5-inch chunks (225g); 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1.5-inch chunks; 3 slices fresh ginger, unpeeled; 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

Thin-sliced pork tenderloin stir-fried with fermented black beans, crushed red pepper, cabbage, and bell pepper in a spicy hoisin sauce

chinesesichuanchongqingporkspicyfermented-black-beanstir-fryweeknightquickcabbage

Jump to Recipe

Chungking is the old romanization of Chongqing, a massive city in Sichuan province known for food so spicy it makes the rest of Sichuan look mild. This stir-fry captures that spirit in a dish that takes less than thirty minutes from cutting board to table.

The pork tenderloin is sliced thin, tossed with rice wine and cornstarch, and stir-fried fast in a hot wok. Cabbage and bell pepper cook just long enough to soften at the edges while staying crunchy. The sauce is built on fermented black beans and crushed red pepper, finished with hoisin sauce and dark soy sauce. The hoisin adds sweet-savory depth. The dark soy adds color and bitterness that keeps the sweetness in check.

At a Glance

Yield

4 servings

Prep

15 minutes

Cook

12 minutes

Total

27 minutes

Difficulty

Easy

Ingredients

4 servings

3/4 lbpork tenderloin, sliced crosswise 1/8 inch thick (340g)
2 tspChinese rice wine or dry sherry
4 tspcornstarch, divided
2 tbspfermented black beans, coarsely chopped
1 tspcrushed red pepper, or to taste
3 tbsphoisin sauce
2 tspdark soy sauce
4 tbspcanola or vegetable oil, divided
1/2 lbgreen cabbage, cut into 1.5-inch chunks (225g)
1medium red bell pepper, cut into 1.5-inch chunks
3slices fresh ginger, unpeeled
2garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

Method

1
Marinate pork with wine and 2 tsp cornstarch. Whisk remaining 2 tsp cornstarch with 1/4 cup water.
2
Combine black beans + red pepper. Combine hoisin + dark soy.
3
Stir-fry cabbage and bell pepper in 2 tbsp oil on high, 5 min. Remove.
4
Add 2 tbsp oil. Fry ginger and garlic until sizzling. Add pork, stir 2-3 min until no longer pink.
5
Add black bean mixture, stir. Add hoisin mixture. Return vegetables. Add cornstarch water, stir 30 sec. Serve.