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Home Quick and Easy

Vietnamese Caramelised Pork Bowls

By:Nagi
Published:22 Sep '19Updated:11 Oct '22
999 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Here’s 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!

This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!

Close up of pork mince stir fry - Vietnamese Caramelised Pork Bowls

Vietnamese stir fry – Pork Mince recipe

Ground pork – which we call “mince” here in Australia – is extremely good value.

It’s also just about the least sexy protein I know. Don’t you think? A dry aged piece of New York strip is sexy. Quail is gourmet. Oysters are….well, we’ve all heard that oysters are an aphrodisiac, right? 😉

Mince is…well, it just isn’t fancy. And yet, it makes it into my shopping trolley every single week because it’s such good value and so versatile. Sure, there are the usual suspects you can make with mince. Bolognese, meatballs, burgers, Meatloaf, Shepherds Pie – to name a few of the more common ones.

But sometimes, it’s nice to do something a little different. Like this Vietnamese pork stir fry.

The crazy thing about this pork mince recipe is that the ingredients list is so short. Chili, garlic, ginger, sugar and fish sauce. That’s it. Seriously!

Can I make this pork stir fry with chicken or beef mince?

Yes! This is fabulous made with chicken, beef and turkey!

Vietnamese Caramelised Pork Bowls - close up of pork mince recipe, stir fry

“This is a terrific ground pork recipe that tastes and sounds so exotic…. yet it’s so easy!”

The secret to this ground pork  is the caramelisation. It is rare to see recipes made with ground meat that are cooked this way so the meat is caramelised.

But those golden brown bits you see – they are the crowning glory in this recipe that takes it from a rather unappetising pale brown-grey colour to a golden brown pile of deliciousness that you will want to eat with a spoon straight out of the skillet. (Go on – you deserve it – cook’s privileges!)

What you need

Short list – see? I didn’t exaggerate!!

Lemongrass is optional – it’s not a pantry staple and also it’s not an ingredient in traditional Vietnamese Caramel Pork. But lemongrass flavour is certainly at home in this dish!

Ingredients in Vietnamese Caramelised Pork Bowls - pork mince recipe, stir fry

How to make this Vietnamese pork mince stir fry

This pork mince stir fry comes together as quickly as any stir fry. Once you start cooking, you’ll be done in 6 minutes flat.

How to make Vietnamese Caramelised Pork Bowls (pork mince recipe)

Authentic Vietnamese roots

I am not 1000% sure that this is strictly authentic Vietnamese but the combination of ingredients I use most certainly are and it is my replica of dishes I have tried at Vietnamese restaurants here in Australia. It is an adaptation of the marinade I use in my Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Bowl and essentially the quick version of Vietnamese Caramel Pork, a famous Vietnamese food speciality.

Vietnamese Caramelised Pork Bowls served over rice in a rustic bowl - ground pork recipe / pork mince recipe

How to serve it

Serve this pork stir fry over rice and eat it with a spoon! This pork mince recipe doesn’t have a sauce, but  you don’t need it because the flavour is intensified and the pork mince mixes all through the rice which flavour it.

To complete your meal, try these:

  • A fresh side salad like this Asian Slaw;

  • Add a side of cucumber and tomato wedges, pictured (very classic South East Asian way to add vegetables to a meal); or

  • Shredded lettuce, cucumber and carrots which makes it more like the classic Vietnamese Noodle Bowls.

  • Make my Vietnamese Chicken Salad but without the chicken for a fresh, slaw-like salad side.

Hope you enjoy! – Nagi x

PS For a healthy low carb option try Cauliflower Rice – 77% fewer calories and 87% less carbs than rice.


Watch how to make it

This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!

Get your Vietnamese fix!

  • Bun Cha – Vietnamese Meatballs (Noodle Bowl)

  • Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls

  • Vietnamese Caramel Pork – and the Chicken version!

  • Lemongrass Chicken – one of my favourite things to grill!

  • Vietnamese Noodle Salad

  • Browse all Vietnamese recipes

More quick pork mince recipes

  • Pork Stir Fry with Green Beans

  • Bun Cha – Vietnamese Meatballs (Noodle Bowl)

  • San Choy Bow (Chinese Lettuce Cups)

  • Chinese Pork Mince with Noodles

  • Egg Foo Young (Chinese Omelette with Pork)

Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Close up of pork mince stir fry - Vietnamese Caramelised Pork Bowls

Vietnamese Caramelised Pork Bowls

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 20 mins
Stir Fry
Vietnamese
4.94 from 398 votes
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 1936
Recipe video above. 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)
  • 1 lb / 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

  • Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat.
  • Add the onion, ginger, garlic and chili and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add the pork mince and cook for 2 minutes or so until white all over, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon.
  • 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.
  • Serve over rice or vermicelli noodles, garnished with sliced scallions/shallots. For a low carb, low cal option, try Cauliflower Rice! I like to have chunks of plain cucumber and carrots on the side which is a classic way of making Vietnamese bowls.

Recipe 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.
This dish is great to serve with sriracha on the side so people can add the amount of heat they want.
2. Other meat – recipe works great with chicken and turkey too. Beef will also work well.
3. 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. 
If you have lemongrass paste (see ingredient photo in post), add it with the brown sugar.
4. Nutrition is for the pork stir fry only, excludes the rice and assumes you use a lean pork (10% fat).

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 153gCalories: 341cal (17%)Carbohydrates: 17g (6%)Protein: 22g (44%)Fat: 13g (20%)Saturated Fat: 3g (19%)Cholesterol: 110mg (37%)Sodium: 782mg (34%)Potassium: 425mg (12%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 16g (18%)Vitamin A: 30IU (1%)Vitamin C: 3mg (4%)Calcium: 40mg (4%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Keywords: Ground pork recipe, ground pork stir fry, Pork mince recipe, pork mince stir fry
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Originally published November 2015. Updated September 2019 with new writing, some new photos, brand new video and most importantly, new Life of Dozer section added!

Life of Dozer

Dozer on the wrong side of the counter at the pet shop!!!

(PS yes you spy cat treats, buying a present for a friend!)

Dozer Pet O wrong side of counter buying present

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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999 Comments

  1. Rakel says

    February 24, 2023 at 9:21 pm

    5 stars
    3 of your recepi´s made in 3 days and already looking forward to the next one, mega easy to make and tasty too, thanks Nagi and ofcourse Dozer too, hope you both have a good weekend! x

    Reply
  2. Jill Langton says

    February 18, 2023 at 6:50 pm

    5 stars
    One of my favourites, on rotation. Quick and tasty. Thank you. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Diane Beck says

    February 5, 2023 at 1:42 am

    I have never had a negative comment on your recipes over the years I have been using them. However, if you are going to mention using lemongrass in the *Notes* it really should be in the ingredient list too!
    I often save or print recipes and when I want to make something I shop off the ingredient list. Imagine my disappointment to begin assembling my mis en place’ and realize I have no lemongrass to add!

    Reply
  4. Amy Matey says

    February 1, 2023 at 2:19 am

    I made this last night, and my husband swooned. It was pure comfort. That said, I did have to add a little salt to cut the sweet. I’m wondering whether my fish sauce had a different composition. As much as I wanted to make it exactly as written the first time, I had to add a dash of oyster sauce and some salt to balance the flavor so it wasn’t strictly sweet. Nevertheless, it is a welcome change from teriyaki. We will be making this often. Thank you!

    Reply
  5. May says

    January 30, 2023 at 5:32 am

    5 stars
    The caramel pork was the star of our vermicelli salad bowls. We don’t like sweet much, so I only used 2T brown sugar. I through in some dried tien tsin chilis for heat. ….and served with chili crisp. Yum, yum, YUM! I think I will try in lettuce wraps next.

    Reply
  6. buffy dandoy says

    January 26, 2023 at 12:08 pm

    5 stars
    I have made this dish about 20 times since I found this recipe. I use 3lbs of pork since it goes so fast. I use 10T of brown sugar and 7T of fish sauce. It’s the perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness. I use 2 thai chili with seeds and 2 without. My son LOVES this so much. Made some last night and he finished it by today. I think I’ll try it with beef just for variation. Not sure it’ll come out the same.

    Reply
  7. Stacey says

    January 23, 2023 at 5:28 am

    5 stars
    Great recipe ! I was looking for something different to use pork/beef mince up and this was a great recipe. Paired with rice and an Asian slaw. Very nice. I did cook the mince slightly longer than suggested (also drained fat)before adding sugar/fish sauce because I noticed others struggled to get the caramelisation.

    Reply
  8. Annie says

    January 22, 2023 at 11:09 pm

    This was terrible 🙁 no flavour and no textures except rice and mince which is the same we WILL NOT be making this again which is a shame cause we usually live your recipes

    Reply
    • Kay says

      February 1, 2023 at 10:37 am

      5 stars
      Either you didn’t follow the recipe or you didn’t caramelize the pork properly which was my crime on first attempt. You literally have to almost burn it lol. This is hands down my favourite recipe and I’m forced to cook it weekly. I use steamed jasmine rice for a bit of stodge as it’s a dry dish. A bit of soy and sriracha and it’s divine..please give it another go sometime

      Reply
  9. Cori Skye says

    January 14, 2023 at 4:00 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely adored this recipe. Hubby fell in love with it and polished it off in minutes. I’d love to know how you got it so gorgeously caramelized, Nagi! I cooked it for about 25 minutes and it was still not as brown as yours and had some liquid. Any tips??? I served it over rice with cucumber and topped it with fresh coriander and fresh Thai basil. YUM!!!!! Thanks for this!

    Reply
  10. Marissa says

    January 12, 2023 at 10:48 am

    5 stars
    I made this with mince beef for dinner last night, the family loved it! I used 1/2 the sugar, it still caramelised beautifully.

    I was so tempted to add oyster sauce or soy sauce or a 3rd element as per habit, coz… just fish sauce and sugar? Really?

    But as usual, u were right Nagi, it was delicious!

    Served with low GI rice and a crunchy slaw of shredded carrots, cucumber and red cabbage, yummy… will definitely make this again, thanks Nagi!

    Reply
  11. Emma Lee says

    January 11, 2023 at 9:52 am

    5 stars
    All I can say is Meat Candy. It’s so good.

    Reply
  12. Ming says

    January 7, 2023 at 11:39 am

    5 stars
    Made this today for lunch and WOW it was so good! The caramelization was amazing. I added green beans to it for veggies. I think next time I make it, I’ll use less sugar. Thank you for the delicious recipe!

    Reply
  13. Adeola Ogundipe says

    January 5, 2023 at 12:41 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe is amazing! I made this pork to go in bibimbap bowls and everyone was impressed, myself included!

    Reply
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