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”!
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!
“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!
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.
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.
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!
Vietnamese Caramel Pork – and the Chicken version!
Lemongrass Chicken – one of my favourite things to grill!
Browse all Vietnamese recipes
More quick pork mince recipes
San Choy Bow (Chinese Lettuce Cups)
Egg Foo Young (Chinese Omelette with Pork)
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Vietnamese Caramelised Pork Bowls
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:
Nutrition Information:
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!)
Absolutely gorgeous. Would add 1tbsp less sugar next time and a little more ginger but this is personal taste only. As a whole, thoroughly impressed!!
Fantastic to hear you enjoyed it Chris, thanks for letting me know! N xx
Tried this without the fish sauce (used a dash of soy). Still delicious! And so easy. Thankyou! It will be a regular fish I think.
Whoot whoot! So glad to hear that Sammy! N xx
You forgot to mention the fresh coriander that should be sprinkled liberally over the dish when served. I also served with heaps of shredded lettuce and carrot, konjac noodles (!) and fresh chili and more fish sauce.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Wait – I didn’t! 🙂 But yes coriander would be fabulous!
Thanks for the reminder James! Updating now. Glad you enjoyed it! N x
Delicious! I had it with brown rice and steamed broccoli and beans! Added dried shallots and will add peanuts to pan next time.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Darlia! Thanks so much for letting me know! N xx
This looks amazing. I can’t wait to try it out! I’m curious though…if I make extras, could it be frozen for future meals?
Hi Laura! Yup, this freezes great! N xx
I am so glad I found your blog! I also get recipes from Not Quite Nigella and Jamie Oliver, but yours is my favorite! I like your focus on fast, fresh, tasty, not strange ingredients. Call me biased but I think Asians are food obsessed and know something about tasty! (I’m Chinese) With your dishes I know I can make them quickly, unlikely Jamie’s 30 minute meals that take me 1hour (I’m so slow at prep ?)
Please continue to add Japanese dishes, as I’ve had lovely Japanese food on my travels.
This recipe is a family favourite, I love it with lemongrass.
Can I ask what wok you use? My non stick wok is slowly dying and am wondering if I should get stainless steel or iron next time.
Thanks, Nagi
Wow what a compliment! Thanks so much for trying my recipes Grave 🙂 And you know, I have to agree…I am yet to meet an Asian who has “bad taste” in food! (i.e. thousand year old eggs etc aside, I mean generally Asian palettes tend to be like mine) 🙂 I don’t have a particular brand I use for a wok, I just got it from an Asian store. It was around $30? Just make sure it’s a decent weight, not a flimsy aluminium one 🙂 Ooh, as for Japanese food, my mother started a food blog! Here it is, all the family favorites! http://japan.recipetineats.com
OMG… So yummy! I just made this tonight for dinner. All of my kids and husband gave it two thumbs up! I left out the pepper because not everyone likes spicy. I served with rice and lettuce for wraps. Thanks for a great recipe!!
Fantastic!! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed it, thanks Chrissy! N x
I made this for dinner tonight, with extras for lunch this week. Oh my god. This was DELICIOUS!!! I added carrots, tri coloured peppers and zucchini and I also shredded fresh ginger on top.
I am SO glad I took the time to properly caramelize the meat (I used chicken).
WOO HOO! I’m so glad you enjoyed this Amy, thank you for letting me know! N xx
This is an amazing recipe! The family loved it.
I did add the lemon grass, but not the chili(kids!) and it was delicious.
Super easy to make.
This is on the regular rotation now.
It’s so wonderful to hear you enjoyed it Karen, thank you for letting me know!! N x
If I have everything for this but the fish sauce, can I sub anything in instead. I have Worcestershire sauce, would that be close at all in flavour, I know both have anchovies…?
Hi Karen! Good sub idea 🙂 Use 1 tbsp soy sauce + 1 tsp anchovies. 🙂
Can you make this with tofu? I am pescatarian, so I don’t eat pork, but the sauce and technique sound amazing!
Hi Sarah, this works great with tofu (I’d use hard) and veggies too!
Made this for dinner tonight and the flavor was amazing. Served it with some rice vermicelli noodles and a good bunch of shredded romaine, along with shredded carrots and small sliced cucumbers. I also chopped up a decent bunch of cilantro, mint and Thai basil together, which we sprinkled on our bowls. That addition was superb. Thank you!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it Laurie, thanks for coming back to let me know! N x
EXCELLENT!!!!
THANK YOU Al!
A brilliant gluten free way to cook pork with a twist!
Thanks Lexi! So glad you enjoyed it, thanks for coming back to let me know! N x
This is delish, was looking for something to do with my pork mince and so pleased I stumbled across this, even with less than half the brown sugar it still tasted amazing. Have signed myself up for your emails, looking forward to trying some more of your recipes 😀
Thanks Vicki!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this!!
I made this a few days ago and I LOVE LOVE it. Can’t wait to make it again tonight, but this time for fun I will use chicken instead of pork. I ate it with rice the first time, but I am considering also trying it with some nice big lettuce leaves and wrap them around the meat. Thanks for such a wonderfully tasting, yet so quick to make, dish.
Ooooh! I can’t believe I haven’t thought about having this in lettuce wraps before, thank you for the tip! And I’m so glad you enjoyed it! N x
whoops I forgot the stars! Great dish!
OMG. This is so GOOD. Wow. My only regret is not doubling or tripling the recipe. 5 stars!!
This is great, unexpected flavor combination and excellent textures. I saw there were a lot of comments for a lowly pound of what we call “ground pork”. I live in the state’s, upper NE. One time I asked a man from Vietnam why everyone loved to visit his Country. His response was “the food”. Thus I always have these ingredients as he was so correct on the food. This one is just exceptional! Love it with the cucumbers and carrot, Sriracha too. Thank you so much for this special treat!
Fantastic! I’m so glad to hear that Elizabeth, thank you so much for coming back to let me know! N x
WOO HOO! Thanks Regine!!! 🙂
Great recipe Nagi. My son loved it so much he approved it for his take to school lunch:-) Making it again right now so it will make my life easier during the week, all I have to do is add some fresh rice in the morning. Thank you.
WOO HOO!! SO GLAD you enjoyed it Beatrice, thank you for letting me know! N x
Still one of my all time favorite recipes – not just from Nagi but overall. Fast and easy and so very tasty! Also, when your kids love something, it really makes my day?
I printed out this recipe a couple of weeks ago, but then I sort of forgot about it during a beef phase. I ran across it again last night and decided it was time to try it out. Well, it’s going to be a long time before I hit another beef phase, because I’m obsessing over this. It was delicious! I even got my mom to have seconds (extremely unusual). I used shredded romaine and bok choy green instead of iceberg lettuce (for nutrient density, because Mom doesn’t eat much), and I didn’t have cucumber, so I added some julienned red beet and bok choy stem. The pork and rice were perfectly complimented by the veggies. This carmelized pork has exactly the kind of taste that allows one to use a wide range of rice and noodle combinations. I wrapped a forkful of leftovers in a bit of cabbage last night before bed, and it was awesome, too. This is a keeper that is going to be one of this household’s “go-to” recipes.
WOO HOO!!! I’m so glad you loved this too!!! I agree, the flavor of the pork is really versatile 🙂 I love making this with noodles too!!