The spicy double-cooked pork (Sichuan hui guo rou) is one of several classic Sichuan dishes that stand out at China Bistro, which serves Chinese and Vietnamese fare inside Pan-Asia Supermarket. Sichuan chile bean paste (doubanjiang) and green chile peppers drive the bold flavors – spicy, salty, slightly fermented – that complement the pork belly and command attention. It’s tempting to focus on the thin-cut strips of pork belly, a finely poised balance of meat and fat. But dig deep for bright notes of garlic and ginger, and don’t neglect the verdant Chinese leek, a crisp, slightly bitter reset before you go back for more of that pork.
China Bistro (inside Pan-Asia Supermarket), 14246 Manchester Road, Manchester, 636.220.3144
This article appears in July 2022.
