One of my goals for the blog this year is to publish more dinner recipes. I’m often shocked when I navigate to my own “Main Dishes” category tab and see how few and far between the published posts are.
The truth is, I’m not much of a dinner person. Lunch is my game. I love a big lunch. For dinner, I’m happiest with a meal made up of appetizers and ice cream. Seriously.
But I’m going to try for a few more “proper dinner recipes”. Let’s see how it goes!
This Ground Pork and Vegetable Stir Fry is an easy dinner that you can make, even when you don’t feel like making dinner. It comes together fast and uses just a single large skillet. Serve it over cooked rice (my preference) or noodles and you’ve got dinner ready in under 30 minutes!
The sauce is really the key here and it’s what delivers all the flavor, so don’t go swapping it out for bottled stir fry sauce! I use regular soy sauce for making the sauce. If you prefer to use low-sodium soy sauce, that’s fine but I suggest tasting and adding salt at the end, if needed (you’ll notice there is no other salt added anywhere else in this recipe). If you are gluten-free, tamari is a great option.
Bok choy is notoriously sandy, so you want to be sure to give it a good rinse. I do this by chopping it first, then submerging the chopped pieces in a big bowl of cold water to remove any dirt and sand. Drain well before using. The stems of the bok choy stay nice and crisp with the short cooking time, giving this stir fry some great texture!
I had fun with the idea of keeping this Ground Pork and Vegetable Stir Fry monochromatic and using all green vegetables. But the best part about stir fry is how easy it is to customize. If you have half a red pepper or a carrot laying around in your refrigerator that you want to use, toss them in!
Cheers,
Liz
Ground Pork and Vegetable Stir Fry
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (I used regular soy sauce)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
- 1 tsp. fish sauce
- 1 tsp. honey
- 1 tsp. corn starch
For the Stir Fry:
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 baby bok choy, stems and leaves chopped
- 6 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
For Serving:
- White or brown rice
- Salted peanuts
- Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.
- Warm the vegetable oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the ground pork and 2 tablespoons of the sauce. Cook the pork, breaking it up into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon, until it’s no longer pink, about 6-7 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat. Transfer the cooked pork to a clean bowl and set aside. If there is more than a tablespoon of liquid remaining in the skillet, drain some of it off.
- Return the skillet to the heat. Add the bok choy, scallions and mushrooms. Cook, tossing frequently, for 3-4 minutes. If your skillet is getting dry at any point, you can add a bit of vegetable oil, as necessary. The vegetables should be slightly wilted/softened, but still have a crisp bite to them.
- Return the cooked pork to the skillet with the vegetables. Give the sauce a stir, then pour it into the skillet. Cook everything together, tossing frequently, until the sauce is thickened, glossy and the pork and vegetables are well coated, about 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Serve the stir fry over rice. Top with peanuts and cilantro.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 2-3 days
