At the table
Eat hot with rice as a shared table dish. Ask for less chilli when ordering if needed, but expect a chilli-forward dish.
Contains pork offal and may be cooked in lard. Soy sauce can add soy and wheat; oyster sauce can add shellfish. Cooking wine may be used. Check the actual seasonings for allergies and request fully cooked offal.
Dried yellow Gongjiao is used in a documented traditional version; fresh chillies give a juicier variation. Rice wine, soy sauce and oyster sauce appear in some seasonings, and the cooking fat varies.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
Dried yellow Gongjiao is used in a documented traditional version; fresh chillies give a juicier variation. Rice wine, soy sauce and oyster sauce appear in some seasonings, and the cooking fat varies.
Typical ingredients
In some versions
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Savory and distinctly hot, with fragrant yellow chillies and garlic. The amount and preparation of the chillies affect the heat; yellow does not mean mild.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Tender-crisp, curled strips with a springy chew, not a brittle fried coating.
- How it’s made
- Clean and thinly slice the pork stomach, season it, then stir-fry over high heat with prepared chillies, garlic and scallions. Camellia oil, lard or a blend may be used; careful cooking preserves the bite.
Dried yellow Gongjiao is used in a documented traditional version; fresh chillies give a juicier variation. Rice wine, soy sauce and oyster sauce appear in some seasonings, and the cooking fat varies.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Hunan.
About this regional connection
Hunan: Shiwan and surrounding Hengdong local specialty.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有衡东脆肚吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
A specialty of Shiwan
This pork-stomach stir-fry is closely associated with Shiwan and neighboring parts of Hengdong. Local yellow Gongjiao chillies help give it its recognizable character.