This video demonstrates the detailed preparation of "Diced Pork with Chili Peppers" (Zhacai Rou Ding), a traditional Sichuan home-style dish. The cooking process begins with meticulous handling of pork loin, including a tenderizing technique of pounding the meat, precise dicing, and a multi-stage marination involving salt, cooking wine, egg white, starch, and oil. The chef then prepares supporting ingredients, notably green stem lettuce, which undergoes a "Sha Shui" (dehydration) process to enhance its crisp texture. Pickled chilies and red oil Doubangjiang (fermented bean paste) are minced for flavor, alongside aromatic ginger, garlic, and green onions. A pre-mixed sauce balances light soy sauce, aromatic vinegar, MSG, stock, starch, and sesame oil. The cooking method involves stir-frying the pork, then integrating the vegetables and the pre-made sauce to achieve the dish's signature salty, savory, mildly spicy, subtly sour, and sweet profile, designed to be highly appetizing with rice.
Diced Pork with Chili Peppers: A Traditional Sichuan Home-Style Dish
0:00 Introduction to the Dish: Chef Wang Gang introduces "Diced Pork with Chili Peppers" (Zhacai Rou Ding), a traditional Sichuan dish.
0:04 Pork Preparation for Tenderness: A pork loin is thoroughly washed and sinew/membrane are removed. It is then cut in half lengthwise and pounded against the grain with the back of a knife to break vertical fibers, ensuring tenderness. The pork is then diced into 1.5 cm cubes.
0:49 Pork Marination Steps: The diced pork is marinated with salt, cooking wine, half an egg white (to increase tenderness), potato starch, and finally, vegetable oil to seal in moisture and prevent loss.
1:26 Preparing Green Stem Lettuce (Sha Shui): Green stem lettuce is peeled, diced (slightly smaller than pork), and mixed with salt for 10 minutes. This "Sha Shui" or dehydration process removes excess moisture and astringency, resulting in a crisper texture.
1:52 Chili, Ginger, Garlic, & Scallion Preparation: Pickled Xiaomila chili (or less spicy Erjing Tiao) is minced. Red oil Doubangjiang is also minced. Garlic is thinly sliced, ginger is minced, and green onions are sliced into "horse ear" shapes.
2:16 Pre-mixing the Sauce: A sauce is prepared in a bowl by combining light soy sauce, aromatic vinegar, MSG, fresh stock, potato starch, and sesame oil.
2:47 Initial Pork Stir-Frying: The wok is heated, greased with hot oil, then rapeseed oil and lard are added. The marinated pork is stir-fried over low heat until it changes color and is half-cooked. Excess oil is then drained.
3:38 Aromatic Stir-Frying & Combining: The diced stem lettuce, minced pickled chili, and Doubangjiang are added to the wok and stir-fried over low heat to release their aroma and color. Green onion, ginger, and garlic slices are then added for further fragrance.
4:00 Sauce Reduction & Finishing: The pre-mixed sauce is poured into the wok and reduced until it thickens, completing the dish.
4:22 Dish Characteristics: The finished dish is described as salty, savory, mildly spicy, with a hint of sourness and sweetness, making it very appetizing with rice.