Name: Thai Pork Stir Fry
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 1 1/3 cup jasmine rice, dry; 1 tbsp avocado oil, plus more if needed for cooking; 1 yellow onion, chopped (small); 3/4 lb asparagus, ends trimmed and sliced diagonally into bite sized pieces; kosher salt, to taste; 1 1/4 lb ground pork; 1 serrano pepper (seeds removed, chopped); 1 tsp minced ginger (fresh); 4 garlic cloves, minced; 3 tbsp brown sugar; 2 tbsp fish sauce; 2 tbsp tamari (low sodium) or low sodium soy sauce; 1 cup Thai basil (packed); 1 tbsp lime juice, plus extra lime for garnish; 1/2 cucumber (chopped into half moons, large); 2 stalks green onion, sliced

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This easy and flavourful Thai inspired ground pork stir fry is an easy weeknight dinner. Perfectly combining crisp asparagus and onion with ground pork in a flavourful sweet and spicy fish sauce dressing. Serve with rice or noodles for a full meal.

There’s something about having a great stir fry recipe in your back pocket for a quick weeknight dinner that just feels right. A stir fry is a perfect weeknight option because once you have things prepped, the actual time spent cooking is fairly minimal. So if you really want to have a quick dinner on the table, feel free to prep the veggies and cook the rice in advance so you can have this ready in 20 minutes. Beyond being a quick dinner option, this Thai pork stir fry is also loaded with flavour, without a ton of ingredients. I hope you love it as much as we do!

And if you’re looking for another quick stir fry, check out this flank steak stir fry with loads of veggies.

Ingredients

jasmine rice
avocado oil
yellow onion
asparagus
kosher salt
ground pork
serrano pepper
fresh ginger
garlic cloves
brown sugar
fish sauce
tamari (low sodium) or low sodium soy sauce
Thai basil
limes
cucumber
green onion

How to Make This Thai Pork Stir Fry

Cook the rice according to package directions.

Heat a large wok over medium heat and add the oil. Once hot, add the onion and asparagus and cook until softened and the asparagus is bright green, about three to four minutes, season lightly with salt. Remove and set aside.

Increase the heat to medium-high. Add more oil, if needed and then add the pork and cook undisturbed for two minutes, pressing down slightly with a spatula. Once the pork has some crispy brown edges, flip and cook for another two minutes, until mostly cooked through, season lightly with salt. Work in two batches if needed to brown the pork. In this case, remove the cooked pork and repeat with the second batch and then add the first batch back in.

Reduce the heat to medium. Break the pork apart and add the serrano pepper and cook for one to two minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until just fragrant, about one minute, tossing everything together.

Sprinkle in the brown sugar, and pour in the fish sauce and tamari and toss together.

Return the asparagus and onion and toss in the Thai basil. Toss everything together until well combined and add the lime juice.

Divide the rice onto plates and top with the ground pork mixture. Add cucumber and green onion and garnish with an extra lime wedge. Enjoy!

Tips

Brown the pork: browning the pork and getting it fairly crispy around the edges adds tons of flavour and texture to this ground pork stir fry. Working in two batches may be necessary, depending on serving size and the size of the wok.
Don’t overcook the veggies: you want the asparagus to still have some crisp to them, so once they turn bright green, they are generally done.
High heat cooking: when stir frying, it’s important to cook over a fairly high heat. This allows the food to cook quickly and will result in tender-crisp vegetables.
Taste and adjust: as you cook, it’s always a good idea to taste and season your food to your preference. Before adding the full amount of any ingredient, taste and then add more as needed.
Use a high quality fish sauce: fish sauce is delicious and adds so much flavour to a dish. But it’s important to use a high quality fish sauce that tastes great. Typically, you’ll only use a small amount at a time, so invest in one that tastes great and has high quality ingredients. My go-to brand for years is Red Boat fish sauce.
More protein: top with a fried egg.

Substituions

No serrano/less spice: Use another type of spicy pepper that you love, Thai chilies are a great substitute, although they tend to be spicier than serrano. If you prefer less spice or no spice at all, omit.
Brown sugar: I wouldn’t recommend lessening the amount of brown sugar, as it’s needed to balance the flavours of the dish. Plus it helps the pork get browned and caramelized. You can substitute with coconut sugar if you prefer.
Ground pork: although I like using ground pork here, you can substitute with ground chicken, turkey or beef.
Asparagus: If asparagus isn’t in season, use broccoli, broccolini or snap/snow peas instead.

Ingredients & Products I Recommend:

To make this pork and asparagus stir fry, here are some products I love and use.

Avocado Oil:

I prefer using avocado oil for high heat cooking. I love using Chosen Foods avocado oil and their avocado oil spray.

Fish sauce:

I recommend getting a high quality one, such as this one from Red Boat. It’s a great brand, made with only anchovies and salt and doesn’t have any added sugar.

Low Sodium Tamari:

Tamari is a great option for those needing a gluten-free soy sauce. I’m not gluten-free, but still primarily use this brand. It’s not too salty and it tastes great.

Wok:

I love my Made In carbon steel wok. In fact, we love Made In so much, we recently purchased their stainless steel skillets as well. Their products are great quality and so long as you take care of them, they’ll last forever. I love the wok because of the large design and the handle stays cool, so you can rest assured you won’t burn your hands while tossing things around in the wok. The more you use it, the better it becomes with proper seasoning and care, as it develops a nonstick surface (without the toxic nonstick coating). Be sure to follow Made In guidelines and care instructions to keep the wok in great shape.

This is not sponsored, I purchased the Made In wok (and stainless steel pans) on my own. I’ve had the wok for about 1 1/2 years and love it, knowing it will last for a very long time. I highly recommend this brand!

Other Dinner Recipes to try

Ready to make this? Let’s go!

If you make this Thai pork stir fry, please let me know by tagging me on Instagram, or leave a comment and/or review below!‍

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