Description
Ginger pork stir fry topped with homemade chili oil, cilantro and mint is an easy, gourmet anytime dinner.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
The pork & marinade
- 1 1/2 pounds pork (I used thin pork sirloin cutlets)
- 1 teaspoon of fresh grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
The carrots
- 2 cups sliced carrots (4-6 carrots depending on size)
- 1 teaspoon or so of olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon of salt (more if you want)
- 1/8 teaspoon of pepper
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- 1/2 medium onion, chopped into chunks
- 2 large garlic cloves, finely diced
- 1 medium green poblano pepper, cut in chunks
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (can use BASIL if you don’t like cilantro)
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
- 1/4 cup chopped scallion (optional garnish)
- 1/4 cup homemade chili oil with sediment (to drizzle on your stir fry)
- 1 tablespoon canola oil for cooking pork
Extra drizzle (optional)
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons homemade chili oil with sediment (or your favorite store bought)
Basmati rice
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
NOTE: PREP AND COOK TIME DOES NOT INCLUDE MARINATING OVERNIGHT
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!
