Salt-Fried Pork

Ingredients

• 8 ounces fresh boneless pork belly, skin on
• 1 medium-sized leek or 5 green onions, both white and green parts
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons chiil bean paste
• 1 to 2 teaspoons fermented black beans
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

1. Cut the pork into very thin rectangles, aiming for pieces about 3 by 2 inches. Slice the leeks steeply on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces. If your knife is not truly sharp, tuck the pork belly into the freezer for 20 minutes before you start cutting.
2. Pour the oil into a wok, swirl to coat, and set it over high heat; you want the oil glossy and moving, not smoking. Add the pork, then stir-fry for about 4 minutes, until the pieces have given off much of their moisture and picked up a little color.
3. When the oil starts crackling, push the pork away from the middle, keeping it bunched on one side of the wok as well as you can. Pour off the rendered fat, leaving 1 tablespoon in the wok. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Spoon the chili bean paste and fermented black beans into the fat at the center and stir-fry for about 20 seconds, just until they smell lively. Let the pork slide back into the seasoned oil, then stir-fry with some energy to bring everything together, adding the soy sauce and sugar as you go. Add the leeks or green onions. Keep stir-frying until the leeks or green onions are barely cooked, about 1 minute. Taste, add salt if it needs it, and get it to the table right away.