This dish is often served in Sichuan-style restaurants in the West. Rarely is it served properly because the authentic cut of meat, namely pork belly, is fatty. Westerners usually avoid it, thinking it’s unpalatable. This is unfortunate because pork belly, properly prepared, is meltingly tender and rich.

To achieve this, pork belly requires a good bit of cooking. The Huangs simmered pieces of pork belly in water with spring onions and ginger in enormous woks for what seeme