Vietnamese Style Caramelized Pork Bowls
Strong punchy Vietnamese flavours come through in this astonishingly easy high protein Caramelized Pork Mince Stirfry. The full version of this recipe is made by braising chunks of pork neck in a sweet, savoury liquid over several hours, but this weeknight version is ready and on the table in under an hour.
Taking advantage of store prepared vegetables can be a worthwhile shortcut to increasing variety and reducing prep time, however there is really ultimate flexibility with the vegetable mix to customize to your personal taste and preference. I reccomend the bulk of the veg to come from some kind of cabbage, as it provides a nice amount of volume. Full Fat Mince gives the best flavour and texture to the finished dish, but the seasonings also work well with lean mince.
I like to mix the cooked veggies in with the mince, but it can tend to dilute the flavour. If you want super salty, full flavoured, crispy caramelized pork, then serve the mince, rice & veg seperately. Alternatively you can also serve the mince straight up salad as a lower carb option.
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Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Bowls
If you wish to serve this with Rice, set up your rice cooker or method of choice to start now - The rice will keep warm as you finish cooking the Pork and be ready to serve.
Heat a frypan or wok over high heat, add half the oil and stirfry the veggie shreds until wilted. Continue to cook until the moisture is significantly reduced and the vegetables have started to caramelize.
Transfer cooked veg to a bowl and reserve for later.
Add the remaining oil to the pan and sautee the diced onions for 1-2 mins. Add the diced Chilli and ginger paste and cook for a further 1-2 mins.
When the aromatics are caramelized, add in the pork mince, breaking apart into small chunks and continue to cook until all the ingredients are well incorporated and most of liquid has evaporated, with the pork mince starting to render its fats. You will notice the mince no longer steaming and now starting to brown again.
Add in the brown sugar and fish sauce and stir to combine. Continue to cook over high heat, stirring every now and then but also allowing the sugars to caramelize.
Continue cooking until the pork is dark and crispy in parts. Add back in the sauteed vegetables, toss through and season to taste before serving.
Alternatively, the vegetables can be served alongside the pork mince on a bed of rice.
Ingredients
Directions
If you wish to serve this with Rice, set up your rice cooker or method of choice to start now - The rice will keep warm as you finish cooking the Pork and be ready to serve.
Heat a frypan or wok over high heat, add half the oil and stirfry the veggie shreds until wilted. Continue to cook until the moisture is significantly reduced and the vegetables have started to caramelize.
Transfer cooked veg to a bowl and reserve for later.
Add the remaining oil to the pan and sautee the diced onions for 1-2 mins. Add the diced Chilli and ginger paste and cook for a further 1-2 mins.
When the aromatics are caramelized, add in the pork mince, breaking apart into small chunks and continue to cook until all the ingredients are well incorporated and most of liquid has evaporated, with the pork mince starting to render its fats. You will notice the mince no longer steaming and now starting to brown again.
Add in the brown sugar and fish sauce and stir to combine. Continue to cook over high heat, stirring every now and then but also allowing the sugars to caramelize.
Continue cooking until the pork is dark and crispy in parts. Add back in the sauteed vegetables, toss through and season to taste before serving.
Alternatively, the vegetables can be served alongside the pork mince on a bed of rice.
Notes
Any minced meat works well with this recipe. I have successfully used Beef in both full and low fat variations. While there is an understandable difference in the final texture, whatever mince type suits your dietary needs best will work fine.
Per the website, the packaged shredded vegetables I use are: Cabbage (35%), Carrot (20%), Beetroot (14%), Kale (11%), Daikon Radish (11%), Celery (9%).
Ingredients and percentages may vary due to processing and seasonal variability.
The Caramelized Pork Mince would also work well in lettuce wraps or as a filling in rice paper rolls.
Key Ingredients
