Doubanjiang Pork Stomach with Green String Beans (辣豆瓣酱青豆角豬肚, Laat6 Dau6 Faan6 Zoeng3 Ceng1 Dau6 Gok3 Zyu1 Tou5)

Pork stomach is one of my favorite parts of the pig to eat. Pork stomach or pork tripe differs from beef tripe in that beef tripe is white in color, while pork tripe is brown. The fresh whole pork stomach needs to be cooked and sometimes is available already cooked at Asian markets. While it’s convenient to be able to purchase the cooked version, you need to be careful when buying since the pork stomach is sometimes undercooked, which results in tough, rather than tender, pork.

This recipe is really a version of twice cooked pork using pork stomach, rather than pork belly. My previous recipe, Twice Cooked Pork with Fish Cake and Fuzzy Melon (節瓜魚片回鍋肉, Zit³ Gwaa¹ Jyu⁴ Pin³ Wui⁴ Wo¹ Juk⁶), stir fried thinly sliced pork belly after it had been boiled. The same technique, using pork stomach instead, is used to make this dish. Doubanjiang, a spicy fermented broad bean paste, is the basis for the sauce. Broad beans are fermented with spices and red chilies to produce this paste. The more famous producers are based in Sichuan Province in the People’s Republic of China. Broad beans are not soy beans, so soy bean based pastes does not have the same flavor as Doubanjiang. The Doubanjiang is first stir fried to bring out the flavor before adding and stir frying with the pork stomach. The sauce should look dry, so there’s not a lot of liquid.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb.	500 g.	Fresh whole pork stomach (豬肚, zyu1 tou5)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Baking soda (蘇打粉, sou1 daa2 fan2)
1 in.	2.5 cm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), lightly crushed
4 cloves	4 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), lightly crushed
4 Tbs.	60 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
		Water to boil the pork stomach
1 lb.	500 g.	Green string beans (青豆角, ceng1 dau6 gok3), cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
7.4 oz.	210 g.	One 15 oz. (425 g.) can unpeeled straw mushrooms (草菇, cou2 gu1), drained and cut in half
8 oz.	227 g.	One package fried tofu (油炸豆腐, jau4 zaa3 dau6 fu6), cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) strips
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces on the diagonal
3	3	Fresh red chili peppers (指天椒, zi2 tin1 ziu1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces - optional and to taste
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
		Oil for cooking

 

Sauce Ingredients

3 Tbs.	45 ml.	Sichuan Pixiandouban brand Doubanjiang (郫縣豆瓣酱, pei4 jyun6 dau6 faan6 zoeng3) or equivalent
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)

 

Equipment

		Garlic press
4 qt.	3.8 L.	Covered bowl
8 qt.	7.5 L.	Pot to parboil the beef tendon and outside flank
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

 

Preparation Instructions (One Day Before)

Cooked whole pork stomach can sometimes be purchased at Asian markets. If that’s the case, then the skip the following steps to cook the pork stomach. While convenient, the market cooked version are sometimes undercooked, which makes the meat tough, so buyer beware! Cooked pork stomach is also available at Asian delicatessens, usually in a soy based poaching liquid.

1. Wash the fresh whole pork stomach with cold water and then rub the baking soda into the pork. Leave on the baking soda pork stomach for 15 minutes before washing under cold water.
2. Place the pork stomach, lightly crushed ginger and garlic, and Shaoxing wine or dry sherry into a covered pot and just cover the pork with cold water. Cover the pot and bring the pot to a boil over high heat, and then reduce the heat to simmer the pork for another 45-60 minutes. Remove the pork from the pot and refrigerate overnight in a covered bowl. The liquid in the pot may be discarded.

Sichuan Pixiandouban Brand Doubanjiang
(郫縣豆瓣酱, pei4 jyun6 dau6 faan6 zoeng3)

Preparation Instructions (Cooking Day)

1. Take the pork stomach out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking and cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces.
2. Wash and cut the green string beans into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces.
3. Open the fried tofu package and discard any liquid. Cut the fried tofu into 2-inch (5 cm.) strips.
4. Open the unpeeled straw mushroom can and discard any liquid. Cut the straw mushrooms in half. Peeled straw mushrooms can be substituted if the unpeeled are not available.
5. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
6. Remove any stems from the fresh red chili peppers and slice into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces. The amount of red chili peppers to use in this dish depends upon personal taste and is optional, so feel free to reduce or increase the amount.
7. Wash and cut the green onions into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces on the diagonal.
8. Put the Sichuan Pixiandouban brand Doubanjiang or equivalent into a small bowl.
9. Prepare and mix the other sauce ingredients in another small bowl: add the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil.

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the straw mushrooms. Stir fry the mushrooms and then transfer to a bowl.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the fried tofu strips. Stir fry the fried tofu and then transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then red chili peppers. Stir fry the chili peppers until browned before adding the green string beans. Stir fry to brown the green string beans. Add the bowl with the ginger and garlic mixture to the wok, and then some oil to the mixture. Quickly stir fry all the ingredients until the ginger and garlic become fragrant. Transfer the contents of the wok to the bowl with the mushrooms.
4. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the Doubanjiang. Stir fry the Doubanjiang until it becomes darker (red) in color before adding the pork stomach pieces. Stir fry to brown the pork stomach before adding the green onions and the contents of the bowl with the mushrooms back into the wok, and stir fry all the ingredients together.
5. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients to the wok and mix the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish and serve with steamed rice.