Cuts

Regional Meat Cuts

Ear-Sheet Slice (Er Pian)

Also: 耳片, er pian, ear-sheet cut, ear-shaped slice

A Sichuan wide, thin pork or beef slab whose oval silhouette mimics the shape of a human ear — essential to cold-dressed dishes and fast stir-fries.

Er pian (耳片, literally 'ear slices') are wide, translucent-thin sheets of pork belly, shoulder, or lean beef sliced against the grain at a low oblique angle so each piece fans out into a broad oval roughly the size and shape of a human ear — typically 6–9 cm long and 0.2–0.3 cm thick. The large surface area is what defines the cut; it maximises sauce contact in cold dishes and ensures near-instant heat penetration in wok cooking.

In photos

Ear-Sheet Slice (Er Pian) in its raw whole-cut form on a butcher's board — Er pian (耳片, literally 'ear slices') are wide, translucent-thin sheets of pork belly, shoulder, or lean beef sliced against the grain at a low oblique angle so each piece fans out into a broad oval r… Identifying traits: Very wide, thin oval sheet — surface area far exceeds that of a standard slice, Cut against the grain at a steep oblique angle to widen each slice, Semi-translucent when thin enough; light passes through pork belly like stained glass.
Ear-Sheet Slice (Er Pian) in its raw whole-cut form on a butcher's board — Er pian (耳片, literally 'ear slices') are wide, translucent-thin sheets of pork belly, shoulder, or lean beef sliced against the grain at a low oblique angle so each piece fans out into a broad oval r… Identifying traits: Very wide, thin oval sheet — surface area far exceeds that of a standard slice, Cut against the grain at a steep oblique angle to widen each slice, Semi-translucent when thin enough; light passes through pork belly like stained glass.
Where the ear-sheet slice (er pian) lives on the source. Most commonly cut from boneless pork belly (五花肉, wǔhuā ròu) or pork shoulder for cold dishes.
Where the ear-sheet slice (er pian) lives on the source. Most commonly cut from boneless pork belly (五花肉, wǔhuā ròu) or pork shoulder for cold dishes.
Ear-Sheet Slice (Er Pian) prepared the canonical way — Fuqi feipian (husband-and-wife beef slices). Par-cook whole muscle in seasoned water (pork: bring to boil, simmer 20–25 min until just cooked through; beef: blanch 2–3 min for stir-fry, longer for cold salads). Remove and chill uncovered until fully cold and firm — ideally 1–2 hours in refrigerator.
Ear-Sheet Slice (Er Pian) prepared the canonical way — Fuqi feipian (husband-and-wife beef slices). Par-cook whole muscle in seasoned water (pork: bring to boil, simmer 20–25 min until just cooked through; beef: blanch 2–3 min for stir-fry, longer for cold salads). Remove and chill uncovered until fully cold and firm — ideally 1–2 hours in refrigerator.

Where it comes from

Most commonly cut from boneless pork belly (五花肉, wǔhuā ròu) or pork shoulder for cold dishes; lean beef sirloin or flank is used when a lighter, less fatty version is wanted. The meat is often par-cooked, chilled to firm it, then sliced.

Very wide, thin oval sheet — surface area far exceeds that of a standard sliceCut against the grain at a steep oblique angle to widen each sliceSemi-translucent when thin enough; light passes through pork belly like stained glassSilky mouthfeel in cold dishes due to fat striations running parallel to the cut faceRapid heat uptake in stir-fry settings because of minimal thicknessHolds sauce and aromatics across a generous flat face

Best for

Cold-dressed Sichuan dishes (liangban roupian) dressed with chilli oil, black vinegar, garlicHusband-and-wife beef offal salad (fuqi feipian) slicing techniqueQuick wok stir-fries where thin beef cooks in under 60 secondsDan dan noodle topping (scattered slab slices over assembled bowl)Blanched pork belly salads with sesame paste

How to cook it

  1. 1Par-cook whole muscle in seasoned water (pork: bring to boil, simmer 20–25 min until just cooked through; beef: blanch 2–3 min for stir-fry, longer for cold salads). Remove and chill uncovered until fully cold and firm — ideally 1–2 hours in refrigerator.
  2. 2Place chilled block on board. Hold the knife at a 20–30° angle to the cutting surface (not 90°) and draw it toward you in a single smooth stroke, yielding wide ear-shaped ovals 6–9 cm across. Each slice should peel away cleanly without tearing.
  3. 3For cold dishes, arrange overlapping slices on a plate and dress with Sichuan numbing-spicy sauce: chilli oil, light soy, black vinegar, minced garlic, crushed roasted peanuts, coriander.
  4. 4For stir-fry, keep slices separated and add to a screaming-hot wok with a little oil — they cook in 30–45 seconds. Overcrowding kills the wok heat; work in small batches.
  5. 5Do not attempt the cut on warm or room-temperature meat — the slice will crumble or tear. Firmness from chilling is non-negotiable.

Prep & butchery

  • Chill the protein to near-freezing before slicing — 1 hour in the fridge after par-cooking is the minimum
  • Use a long, thin Chinese cleaver or a slicing knife with minimal flex; a thick chef's knife drags and tears
  • Lay the muscle block so its grain runs perpendicular to the knife path; the oblique angle does the rest
  • Aim for uniform thickness (2–3 mm) so pieces dress and cook evenly
  • If slicing raw beef for stir-fry, a 30-minute freeze partially firms the meat and makes wider oblique slices possible

Substitutes

  • Standard bias slice

    Thinner but narrower; lacks the dramatic ear shape — acceptable in stir-fries but loses visual impact in cold dishes

  • Vietnamese bánh thịt nguội thin pork slices

    Similar oblique cold-pork slice technique; cross-culturally comparable but dressed differently

  • Shabu-shabu machine-cut pork belly

    Achieves the right thinness but sliced straight-across; substitute in stir-fries, not cold salads where the shape matters

Related cuts

  • Fuqi feipian slice

    Same wide oblique technique applied to braised beef shank and offal for the eponymous Chengdu cold dish

  • Pork belly slab (wuhua rou block)

    The starting material before slicing into er pian

  • Shabu thin slice

    Machine equivalent — thinner and straight-cut but shares the large-surface-area philosophy

Appears in

Fuqi feipian (husband-and-wife beef slices)Liangban roupian (cold-dressed pork slices)Sichuan dan dan noodles (garnish)Bai zhan ji (Cantonese white-cut chicken uses analogous wide slicing)

References

  1. 1.Land of Plenty — Fuchsia Dunlop (2003)
  2. 2.The Food of Sichuan — Fuchsia Dunlop (2019)
  3. 3.Chinese Cuisine (中国烹饪) — Chinese Culinary Association, standardised knife-work chapters

Confidence: high

Notes

Why the shape matters

The ear silhouette is not decorative whimsy. The large face-to-thickness ratio means cold sauces cling to every millimetre of surface, delivering more flavour per bite than a compact cube or narrow strip. In stir-fry, the same geometry ensures that the centre of the slice is never more than 1–2 mm from the wok surface — effectively eliminating the risk of raw centres in fast-cooked beef.

Cold-dish vs. stir-fry distinctions

For cold dishes, pork belly is preferred: the fat striations soften further as the chilled slice warms in the mouth, creating the silky 'melt' that defines liangban roupian. For stir-fry, lean beef or pork loin is standard — fat renders unevenly at high heat in thin sheets and can cause the slices to curl and toughen.