Here’s a super fast pork stir fry made with pork mince (ground pork) infused with flavours from the streets of Vietnam. With just a handful of ingredients you probably already have, it’s sweet, salty, beautifully caramelised and absolutely irresistible. It’s the quick and easy version of Vietnamese Caramel Pork, a famous Vietnamese food speciality!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Vietnamese stir fry – Pork Mince recipe
Ground pork – which we call “mince” here in Australia – is extremely good value.
It’s also just about the least sexy protein I know. Don’t you think? A dry aged piece of New York strip is sexy. Quail is gourmet. Oysters are….well, we’ve all heard that oysters are an aphrodisiac, right? 😉
Mince is…well, it just isn’t fancy. And yet, it makes it into my shopping trolley every single week because it’s such good value and so versatile. Sure, there are the usual suspects you can make with mince. Bolognese, meatballs, burgers, Meatloaf, Shepherds Pie – to name a few of the more common ones.
But sometimes, it’s nice to do something a little different. Like this Vietnamese pork stir fry.
The crazy thing about this pork mince recipe is that the ingredients list is so short. Chili, garlic, ginger, sugar and fish sauce. That’s it. Seriously!
Can I make this pork stir fry with chicken or beef mince?
Yes! This is fabulous made with chicken, beef and turkey!
“This is a terrific ground pork recipe that tastes and sounds so exotic…. yet it’s so easy!”
The secret to this ground pork is the caramelisation. It is rare to see recipes made with ground meat that are cooked this way so the meat is caramelised.
But those golden brown bits you see – they are the crowning glory in this recipe that takes it from a rather unappetising pale brown-grey colour to a golden brown pile of deliciousness that you will want to eat with a spoon straight out of the skillet. (Go on – you deserve it – cook’s privileges!)
What you need
Short list – see? I didn’t exaggerate!!
Lemongrass is optional – it’s not a pantry staple and also it’s not an ingredient in traditional Vietnamese Caramel Pork. But lemongrass flavour is certainly at home in this dish!
How to make this Vietnamese pork mince stir fry
This pork mince stir fry comes together as quickly as any stir fry. Once you start cooking, you’ll be done in 6 minutes flat.
Authentic Vietnamese roots
I am not 1000% sure that this is strictly authentic Vietnamese but the combination of ingredients I use most certainly are and it is my replica of dishes I have tried at Vietnamese restaurants here in Australia. It is an adaptation of the marinade I use in my Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Bowl and essentially the quick version of Vietnamese Caramel Pork, a famous Vietnamese food speciality.
How to serve it
Serve this pork stir fry over rice and eat it with a spoon! This pork mince recipe doesn’t have a sauce, but you don’t need it because the flavour is intensified and the pork mince mixes all through the rice which flavour it.
To complete your meal, try these:
A fresh side salad like this Asian Slaw;
Add a side of cucumber and tomato wedges, pictured (very classic South East Asian way to add vegetables to a meal); or
Shredded lettuce, cucumber and carrots which makes it more like the classic Vietnamese Noodle Bowls.
Make my Vietnamese Chicken Salad but without the chicken for a fresh, slaw-like salad side.
Hope you enjoy! – Nagi x
PS For a healthy low carb option try Cauliflower Rice – 77% fewer calories and 87% less carbs than rice.
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
Get your Vietnamese fix!
Vietnamese Caramel Pork – and the Chicken version!
Lemongrass Chicken – one of my favourite things to grill!
Browse all Vietnamese recipes
More quick pork mince recipes
San Choy Bow (Chinese Lettuce Cups)
Egg Foo Young (Chinese Omelette with Pork)
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Vietnamese Caramelised Pork Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp cooking oil (I use peanut oil)
- 1/2 onion , finely diced (brown, white or yellow) (~1/2 cup)
- 2 tsp ginger , grated or minced
- 2 garlic cloves , minced (2 tsp paste)
- 1 birds eye or Thai chili , deseeded and finely chopped (can omit, Note 1)
- 500g / 1 lb pork mince (ground pork) (Note 2)
- 5 tbsp (tightly packed brown sugar (don't skimp, else won't caramelise)
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
Serving:
- 1 green onion stem , finely sliced
- Jasmine rice or other rice for serving
- Sliced red chilli, tomato, cucumber (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat.
- Sauté – Add the onion, ginger, garlic and chili and cook for 2 minutes.
- Cook pork – Add the pork mince and cook for 2 minutes or so until white all over, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon.
- Add sauce & caramelise – Add the sugar and fish sauce. Stir, then leave it to cook without touching until all the juices cook out and the pork starts caramelised – about 2 minutes. Then stir it and leave it again, without stirring, for around 30 seconds to get more caramelisation. Repeat twice more until caramelised to your taste.
- Serve over jasmine or other rice, or vermicelli noodles, garnished with sliced green onion. For a low carb, low cal option, try Cauliflower Rice! I like to have chunks of plain cucumber and carrots on the side which is a classic way of making Vietnamese bowls.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published November 2015. Updated September 2019 with new writing, some new photos, brand new video and most importantly, new Life of Dozer section added!
Life of Dozer
Dozer on the wrong side of the counter at the pet shop!!!
(PS yes you spy cat treats, buying a present for a friend!)
This is sooo good! I was hesitant but love using ground pork due to costs. I am so proud of myself with how well it turned out! It’s gonna be a bi weekly meal for my family
Thanks Nagi. Another great recipe thanks. I don’t put garlic and chilli in first as when those burn they get weird. So waited until onions were half done before adding. Got both your cookbooks Dinner and Tonight. Hey I saw the Mushroom Lady used your Beef Wellington Recipe for her in-laws. She used the wrong mushies 😂
Hi Nagi
It was so amazing! Maximum flavour with minimal preparation hands down great recipe it will be our repeat dinner recipe now
I reduced brown sugar to 1.5 tbs but made it to almost burnt point it was crispy and yum
thank you so much
Cooked last night and it is definitely a keeper for us. Not dry at all, beautiful savoury result. I did add the lemongrass but couldn’t detect it at all, but it must have added to the flavour. Served with the recommended cucumber and tomato and they were perfect.
We mince our own pork from a joint which we buy on “special” usually, shoulder or loin keeping some fat in the mix. Vacuum pack and freeze.
Delicious. A very quick and easy dinner and not at all dry as reported by some
This was a really good recipe. Friends kike it very much also. Will definitely make again!
A brilliant dinner in our house I followed the recipe and cooked brown rice it wasn’t too sweet or dry but the cucumber and tomato was surprisingly a hit as well
Really simple to put together and very flavorful! Used a bit of jalapeño since my hubby is not a fan of heat (and I didn’t have Birds Eye). I didn’t try the lemongrass option but it was still excellent. I can get lean ground pork, so this felt like a really healthy dish. I love my rice cooker’s ability to cook perfect brown jasmine rice at 6,000 ft of elevation, so I’m feeling pretty good about the whole meal. Added some fresh veg as a side. Thank you!
This was delicious, i have made it before and never managed to get the real caramilsation, I did this in a wok today on the biggest gas stove burner on hign all the time and it turned out fantastic and not too sweet, I cant stick to a recipe so i added a bit more garlic and a bit less ginger… delicious. i would like to try cocunut rice with it rather than plain,
Great dish. Added lemongrass, and made lime jasmine rice. Phenomenal
This recipe was another winner in my family. Although I have to admit that I reduced the sugar a little despite your warnings. It still caramelised without being too sweet. Served with Jasmine rice, some quick stir-fried bokchoy and capsicum, the raw tomato and cucumber and a hard boiled egg (and in my case, a good helping of crispy prawn Sambal). Delicious, nutritious and just hit the spot for 2 adults and 2 teens.
Great flavour simple method maximum deliciousness
Great flavour simple cooking method maximum deliciousness
Quick, easy and tasty
This was delicious and came together quickly, thanks for another lovely recipe!!
This is now a family favourite in our household – recipe always gets doubled so we have extra for lunches. We usually serve with pickled cucumber, carrot and red onion. If we are feeling fancy (or extra hungry), will also add a fried egg on top. Delicious!
Absolutely delicious. Tons of flavor. Super simple to make! We made “bowls” and served mine with rice, edemame, sliced radish, cucumber, shaved carrots and sliced jalapeños, chopped parsley/cilantro.
Made this for the first time last week, we all loved it. It is now going to be a regular addition to our menu. Love your recipes Nagi, you are my go to every time 👌❤️
We love this recipe. It’s in high rotation at our house ❤️
O.m.g. this was fabulous! I didn’t think i’d like it more than the firecracker beef, but this surpassed my expectations! So easy and soooo good!