Description

Minced pork meat

Additional information

Vietnamese Caramelised Pork Bowls

A super fast pork stir fry made with ground pork infused with flavours from the streets of Vietnam.

With just a handful of ingredients you probably already have, it’s sweet, salty, beautifully caramelised and absolutely irresistible. It’s the quick and easy version of Vietnamese Caramel Pork, a famous Vietnamese food speciality!

An exciting way to use ground meat (mince) to make a quick stir fry that taste unbelievable! This is great made with chicken, turkey or pork. It also works with beef though it is better made with “white meats”. Serve it over rice or vermicelli noodles to make rice bowls with shredded lettuce, carrots and cucumbers on the side (very classic Vietnamese meal!).

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tbsp cooking oil (I use peanut oil)
• 1/2 onion , finely diced (brown, white or yellow) (~1/2 cup)
• 2 tsp ginger , grated or minced
• 2 garlic cloves , minced (2 tsp paste)
• 1 birds eye or Thai chili , deseeded and finely chopped (Note 1)
• 1lb / 500g ground pork (mince) (Note 2)
• 5 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp fish sauce

Serving:

• 1 Green onion stem , finely sliced
• Rice
• Sliced red chilli, tomato, cucumber (optional)

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat.
2. Add the onion, ginger, garlic and chili and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add the pork mince and cook for 2 minutes or so until white all over, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon.
4. Add the sugar and fish sauce. Stir, then leave it to cook without touching until all the juices cook out and the pork starts caramelised – about 2 minutes. Then stir it and leave it again, without stirring, for around 30 seconds to get more caramelisation. Repeat twice more until caramelised to your taste.
5. Serve over rice or vermicelli noodles, garnished with sliced scallions/shallots. I like to have chunks of plain cucumber and carrots on the side which is a classic way of making Vietnamese bowls.

Notes:

1. Birds eye chilis are small red chilis that are usually around 3 to 4cm (1.5 – 2″) long. They are very spicy! You can substitute with any chili you want, or even exclude it if you are making this for kids. Just adjust to your taste.
2. This dish is great to serve with sriracha on the side, so people can add the amount of heat they want.
3. Recipe works great with other meats.
4. Lemongrass is a lovely and very traditional Vietnamese herb used in dishes like this. 1 stalk, white part only, very VERY finely chopped. Add it into the skillet with the garlic.
5. If you have lemongrass paste, add it with the brown sugar.
6. Nutritionis for the pork stir fry only, excludes the rice and assumes you use a lean pork (10% fat).

Source: recipetineats.com