Sichuan “Shui Zhu” Pork – Spicy and numbing water poached pork 水煮肉片

Name: Sichuan “Shui Zhu” Pork – Spicy and numbing water poached pork 水煮肉片
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 500 g Pork; 500 g Vegetables; 1 tsp Salt; ½ tsp White or black pepper; 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine; 1 tbsp Light soy sauce; 1 Egg white; 2 tsp Potato or corn starch; 1 tsp Oil; 1 tbsp Chopped ginger; ¼ cup Chopped garlic; 1 Chopped fresh red thai chilli; 2 tbsp Oil, divided; 1 tsp each dried Sichuan peppercorns & chilli; ¼ tsp Salt; 1 ½ tbsp Fermented broad bean chilli paste; ½ l Water; 1 ½ tbsp Light soy sauce; ½ tbsp Dark soy sauce; ¼ tsp White pepper; ¼ tsp Sugar; 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine; ½ tsp Chicken Bouillon powder; ¼ cup Chopped garlic; ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorn powder; 1 tbsp Crushed chilli flakes; 1 tsp White sesame seeds; ¼ cup Hot oil

AuthorYun Zhang JohnCategoryMeat, VegetablesDifficultyIntermediateRating

Yields1 Serving

Prep Time20 minsCook Time10 minsTotal Time30 mins

Sichuan “Shui Zhu” Pork – Spicy and numbing water poached pork 水煮肉片

This Shui Zhu Rou Pian 水煮肉片 or “water poached pork slices” recipe is one to remember! It’s packed to the rim with pungent yet balanced flavours. The original of the Shui Zhu series of dishes, this will send your taste buds on a journey around “mala” town.

For those not familiar with the “Shui Zhu” or water braised series of dishes in classic Sichuan cuisine, you will be surprised to know that this seemingly mild sounding dish is quite the opposite. The generous use of aromatics including ginger, garlic, fresh and dried chillies, Sichuan peppercorns and fermented broad bean chilli paste creates a flavoursome and lively soup base that meat and vegetables are cooked in. This Shui Zhu Rou Pian or Shui Zhu Pork recipe is very similar to my SHUI ZHU FISH recipe .

But this dish is also about the pork! The star of if the ultra tender slices of pork as one of the key characteristic of a good Shui Zhu Pork is the melt-in-your-mouth slices of pork. The meat should be very succulent with a smooth mouth feel.

How to make succulent Shui Zhu Rou Pian

1. Pick the right cut of meat. Use loin or tenderloin of pork because it’s mostly lean with little connective tissues. Be sure to trim off any excess fat as well.

2. Cut the meat across the grain to break up the meat fibres.

3. Massage the meat slices with your hand as you marinate. And to really lock in the flavour and moisture into the meat, make a paste with egg white and potato or corn starch and rub that into the sliced pork. This method will ensure that each slice of meat is properly seasoned and covered with a slippery coating that protects the meat as it cooks.

4. Finally, cook it just right! That means simmer in the broth in slowly, not stirring until the pieces are 80% done and taking it off the heat as soon as it’s cooked through.

That final sizzle

Although the dish is good to eat once it comes out of the wok, to get the signature fragrance and look, it’ll need to be flash fried with additional aromatics on top of the cooked meat and vegetables.

This means layering generous amounts of garlic, dried chilli flakes, Sichuan peppercorns, sesame seeds and green onions on top and then pouring hot oil all over. Get ready for that whiff of fragrant chilli and garlic all through your house...sizzle sizzle! One of the best Shui Zhu Rou Pian recipes you'll find out there!

You Will Need

500 g PorkA lean cut like tenderloin or loin

500 g Vegetables ie. bean sprouts, mushrooms, tofu skins, bok choy, cabbage..etc

Marinade

1 tsp Salt

½ tsp White or black pepper

1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine

1 tbsp Light soy sauce

1 Egg white

2 tsp Potato or corn starch

1 tsp Oil

Soup base

1 tbsp Chopped ginger

¼ cup Chopped garlic

1 Chopped fresh red thai chilli

2 tbsp Oil, divided

1 tsp each dried Sichuan peppercorns & chilli

¼ tsp Salt

1 ½ tbsp Fermented broad bean chilli pasteDoubanjiang 豆瓣酱

½ l Water

1 ½ tbsp Light soy sauce

½ tbsp Dark soy sauce

¼ tsp White pepper

¼ tsp Sugar

1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine

½ tsp Chicken Bouillon powder

Toppings

¼ cup Chopped garlicor to taste

½ tsp Sichuan peppercorn powderor to taste

1 tbsp Crushed chilli flakesor to taste

1 tsp White sesame seeds

¼ cup Hot oil

Instructions

Cut pork tenderloin across the grain into thin slices. Then marinate the sliced pork by adding all the marinade ingredients and then messaging it in the seasoning with your hand. Set aside.

Chop ginger, garlic, chilli and green onion.

Prep and clean vegetables of your choice.

Into a wok, add 1 tbsp oil, heat over high heat. Then add in dried whole Sichuan peppercorns and chills and stir fry until fragrant. Toss in the vegetables and stir fry over high heat. Season with salt to taste. Once the vegetables are tender crisp, transfer into a large heat proof bowl.

Make soup base in a wok. Over medium high heat, add 1 tbsp oil, followed by 1/4 cup chopped garlic, 1 tbsp chopped ginger and 1 chopped chilli. Stir fry for 1 minute. Then add the fermented broad bean chilli paste, stir fry for another minute or so. Add in water and then rest of the soup base seasonings.

Simmer the soup base for a couple of minutes and then add in the marinated sliced pork little by little, spreading it evenly around the wok. Cook gently without stirring until the meat are 80% done. Then gently stir to finish cooking. As soon as the sliced meat are cook through, transfer all meat and soup into the bowl that holds the cooked vegetables.

Top the dish with all desired toppings. Then carefully pour hot oil all over to flash fry the toppings. Serve immediately.

Ingredients

500 g PorkA lean cut like tenderloin or loin

500 g Vegetables ie. bean sprouts, mushrooms, tofu skins, bok choy, cabbage..etc

Marinade

1 tsp Salt

½ tsp White or black pepper

1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine

1 tbsp Light soy sauce

1 Egg white

2 tsp Potato or corn starch

1 tsp Oil

Soup base

1 tbsp Chopped ginger

¼ cup Chopped garlic

1 Chopped fresh red thai chilli

2 tbsp Oil, divided

1 tsp each dried Sichuan peppercorns & chilli

¼ tsp Salt

1 ½ tbsp Fermented broad bean chilli pasteDoubanjiang 豆瓣酱

½ l Water

1 ½ tbsp Light soy sauce

½ tbsp Dark soy sauce

¼ tsp White pepper

¼ tsp Sugar

1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine

½ tsp Chicken Bouillon powder

Toppings

¼ cup Chopped garlicor to taste

½ tsp Sichuan peppercorn powderor to taste

1 tbsp Crushed chilli flakesor to taste

1 tsp White sesame seeds

¼ cup Hot oil

Directions

Cut pork tenderloin across the grain into thin slices. Then marinate the sliced pork by adding all the marinade ingredients and then messaging it in the seasoning with your hand. Set aside.

Chop ginger, garlic, chilli and green onion.

Prep and clean vegetables of your choice.

Top the dish with all desired toppings. Then carefully pour hot oil all over to flash fry the toppings. Serve immediately.

Sichuan “Shui Zhu” Pork – Spicy and numbing water poached pork 水煮肉片

Ingredients Directions