La Rou Stir-fry (Smoked Chinese Bacon Stir-fry)
I don't use raw pork! A winter masterpiece with smoked flavors on vegetables
Description
A winter staple in Southern China (Hunan/Sichuan). Instead of fresh pork, it uses 'La Rou' (Chinese bacon)—pork belly salt-cured and cold-smoked over wood fires for months. The intensely smoky, aged fat is rendered out to stir-fry vegetables like garlic stems or cabbage to perfection.
Restaurants serving La Rou Stir-fry (Smoked Chinese Bacon Stir-fry)
Researching
We are researching restaurants that serve this dish.
On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- La Rou(Smoked Chinese bacon)
- Suan Miao(Garlic sprouts/or Cabbage)
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Chili
- Soy sauce
- Sugar
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe & Differences]
- (La Rou Prep) Take rock-hard 'La Rou' (its surface blackened by soot). Boil it thoroughly in hot water to clean the surface, soften it slightly, and extract excess salt.
- Slice the boiled bacon thinly. The fat turning a translucent golden color is proof of top quality.
- (Frying) In a wok with zero (or very little) oil, slow-fry the sliced bacon on low heat.
- A clear, highly aromatic 'smoked lard' will slowly render out. Once the meat edges crisp up, add garlic, ginger, and dried chilies to bloom.
- Toss in Suan Miao (garlic sprouts), garlic stems, or cabbage.
- Fry on high heat, forcing the vegetables to 'absorb every drop' of the intense smoke aroma and aged amino acid oil. Because the bacon is salty, season minimally with just a dash of soy and sugar.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Intense smoke aroma from pine or cypress wood fires
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Thick-cut smoked bacon or Pancetta (substitute)
Pairing
Baijiu / White Rice
Trivia
[Trivia] 'La' refers to the 12th lunar month. Hanging pork under the eaves to cure as winter preserves is a classic rural scene. Hunan's (Mao's hometown) La Rou stir-fry is especially famous; paired with Baijiu, it makes you completely forget the winter cold.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] The star isn't the meat; it's the 'vegetables' gleaming with the absorbed smoked oil. Take a bite of the chewy, salty meat, neutralize its intense flavor with white rice, and enthusiastically devour the vegetables.
Allergen
Pork, Wheat, Soybeans (Soy sauce)