close up look of serving bowl with ginger pork stir fry with chili oil, mint and cilantro

I've been really into pork stir fry lately. Anyone else? I especially love pork and ginger together. And if you're a regular reader of my website (which of course you are), you also know that one of my new favorite things is homemade chili oil with sediment. This ginger pork stir fry with homemade chili oil, cilantro and mint is my current go-to stir fry.

Community Supported Agriculture: A Great Way to Support Local Farmers

But before I get into that, I would like to welcome you to Season 2 of my Community Supported Agriculture Series. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is all about supporting local farms by buying a share of their harvest before he growing season and receiving farm fresh produce every week for a certain period of time. As I did last year, I purchased a summer farm share at Clark Farm in Carlisle, MA.

Each week I arrive at the farm to pick up amazing fresh salad greens, kale, swiss chard, napa cabbage, carrots, broccolini, strawberries, zucchini, and so much more. It’s such a relaxing summer ritual and I truly enjoy knowing I’m eating healthy, organic veggies that were locally grown.

For this recipe, I incorporated into my stir fry: Clark Farm carrots (the best carrots in the world in my opinion), green poblano pepper and scallions.

Ginger Pork Stir Fry with Cilantro and Mint... OR Basil and Mint for All You Anti-Cilantro Weirdos

I know cilantro is a very sensitive topic for some people. In my experience, there are people who don't simply dislike cilantro. They don't say, "well, it's not my favorite." People who don't like it, really, really despise it. Anger comes out... for some reason. Have you encountered a person who really despises cilantro? Are you yourself a person who despises cilantro? Well, if you saw the word cilantro and still clicked to get here because the picture looks so delicious, first I want to say: congratulations. Baby steps, right? It took courage to click on this post if you are not a cilantro lover. And here is your reward. You can skip the cilantro with this recipe and use basil instead. Basil and mint are equally delicious together. And for those of you who love cilantro - you can proceed with the cilantro/mint combo.

rough chop the cilantro and mint and toss together in a bowl — *Rough chop some cilantro and mint OR basil and mint to add a burst of freshness to your stir fry*

front/side view of ginger pork stir fry with chili oil, cilantro mint with rice and sauces on the side — *Rough chop some cilantro and mint OR basil and mint to add a burst of freshness to your stir fry*

Simple, Flavored-Packed Stir Fry and So Easy to Make

This really is a super easy stir fry to throw together with many ingredients you probably have on hand. And bonus: pork is still a much more affordable option at the grocery store right now than chicken or beef and there are a lot of pork cuts to choose from. I've also noticed my local store has had at least one pork item per week on sale. Right now they have pork butt for $.99/pound. You know I bought some of that for a future recipe!

Marinating the pork for this recipe consists of pork, grated ginger, salt, pepper and olive oil. So much flavor when you let that marinate overnight. My favorite topping for this is my homemade chili oil with sediment which I always have on hand. A couple of teaspoons over the top of my bowl and I am in heaven. Chili oil plus cilantro/mint equals culinary nirvana to me. You can use your own favorite jarred brand too, of course, but the homemade stuff is truly fantastic! I also show you a quick (optional) drizzle in my video which consists of tahini, sugar (optional), dark soy sauce and chili oil. This is a pared-down version of a Dan Dan noodle sauce. So if you made my Dan Dan Noodles, you already have these ingredients on hand! And if you didn't that's okay. Just the combo of tahini, soy and chili oil is a punch of flavor. Sometimes I add the sugar when I make it sometimes I don't - I'll leave that choice up to you.

Steps to Making Ginger Pork Stir Fry:

marinate the pork with grated ginger, salt, pepper and olive oil overnight in the refrigerator — *Marinate pork in ginger, salt, pepper and olive oil overnight*

peel and slice the carrots then put in a pan to saute/steam — *Marinate pork in ginger, salt, pepper and olive oil overnight*

close up view of one bowl of ginger pork stir fry with chili oil, cilantro and mint — *Serve over basmati rice with homemade chili oil, mint and cilantro. Garnish with scallions too if you have them on hand.*

chili oil in a mason jar on a table — *My favorite stir fry topping is homemade chili oil with sediment*

overhead view of homemade chili oi with sediment — *My favorite stir fry topping is homemade chili oil with sediment*

I hope you can carve a little bit of time in your day to make delicious food for yourself and your loved ones. Cooking and sharing a meal with our favorite people is an important tradition that we should try to keep alive. It's a time of day where we can, hopefully, turn off our devices and enjoy the face-to-face human experience. Share your stories and listen to others. Plan a beautiful meal and everyone can pitch in to help. I always feel better when I make time for these moments. I think you will too.

Ginger Pork Stir Fry w/Chili Oil, Cilantro, Mint (and CSA Veggies!!)

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Author: Stacey
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

Ginger pork stir fry topped with homemade chili oil, cilantro and mint is an easy, gourmet anytime dinner.

Instructions

Cut fat around the edge of your pork. There wasn’t too much fat on the pork sirloins I used.
Cut pork into stir fry-sized pieces. About ½” should work. You can really cut them any size you want as long as they are all the same size so they cook evenly. Put pork pieces in a mixing bowl.
Peel then grate the ginger. You can use a sharp knife or peeler to remove the ginger skin. Then grate the ginger on a microplane or finely dice with a knife.
Add the ginger, salt, pepper and olive oil to the pork bowl. Break up the ginger clump and then mix everything together until well combined.
Leave pork in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or transfer to a quart-sized slider bag. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
Once you’re ready to start the other prep for the stir fry, you should put the rice on at the beginning of the cooking process and let it cook while you’re preparing everything else.
Peel and slice the carrots. I cut them at a diagonal angle at about ¼” thickness.
Transfer carrots to a pan and turn heat to medium. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and mix to coat. Then turn heat to low and put a cover on the pan. Steam for 5-7 minutes until carrots are tender. Remove from heat and let carrots sit and steam a few more minutes.
Rough chop the cilantro and mint and mix to combine in a bowl.
Finely dice the garlic.
Cut the onion into small chunks.
Cut the poblano pepper in chunks the same size as the onion.
Chop the scallions if you are using for garnish (it’s optional).
THE EXTRA DRIZZLE (optional): I like to drizzle chili oil or THIS special drizzle on my stir fry. Just combine tahini, sugar (optional), dark soy sauce and homemade chili oil. Whisk together and set aside.
Heat canola oil in a large pan on high heat for a minute or two. Add the ginger pork to the pan. Separate the pork pieces and make them lay flat in the pan. Cook for three minutes (without touching it) on high heat to get a sear on the pork. Then toss the pork and use kitchen tongs to turn pieces individually. Cook another minute.
Add the peppers and onions in the pan and mix to combine. Cook for two minutes while stirring.
Add a splash of oil to the middle of the pan then add the garlic. Turn heat down here so you don’t burn the garlic. Let cook for about a minute, then stir together with the rest of the ingredients.
Add the already-cooked carrots to the pan and mix together with the stir fry for another minute and you’re done. Take a bite to test and if you need another pinch of salt, add it now and stir again. For me, I needed another pinch of salt, but you may not want that.
Serve immediately over rice and top your stir fry with a couple of teaspoons of homemade chili oil and lots of cilantro and mint (OR basil and mint). You can also drizzle the extra sauce on there too if you’d like. Tastes great with chili oil or the tahini/soy drizzle. It’s up to you!