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)
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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!)
It was so yummy, I love sweet mince! Just one question – how much Lemongrass paste should you put, as I didn’t taste anything after adding just about a table spoon?
Definitely a staple in my Vietnamese home growing up! You’ve done it justice 🙂
Wow. What an amazing dish!
Nagi I’ve been a loyal follower for some time and I’ve told so many people about your recipes. I cooked this tonight and everyone loved it. It’s definitely on a rotation menu. It’s so delicious. Thank you for sharing.
Made this tonight & it was so good. I was a bit worried when I thought it wasnt going to caramalise as it was quite watery but I followed Nagis instructions & it worked. Served with tomato wedges & cucumber as Nagi suggested & it teamed perfectly.
Divine! I only used 4 tbspn of sugar and replaced fish sauce with 50:50 soy sauce and oyster sauce (didn’t have any fish sauce). Served on rice noodles and garnished with fresh coriander leaves. Stunning! Somewhat fussy son couldn’t gobble it up fast enough.
Sorry, forgot to note that I also added some very finely chopped capsicum and cauliflower as well.
Just tried it, waaaay too sweet for me. Not bad though, sugar aside!
Have been making this recipe for awhile and have written a review on it. Thought I would add a new twist I topped the pork and rice with a sunny side up egg delicious. Try it you might like it. Everyone I served before loved it with this new addition. Great recipes Nagi
Just made this recipe for the first time- so easy once you have done the prep. Very funny tho because as my hubby came into the kitchen from the garden he was virtually on his hands & knees looking at the floor. On enquiring wether he was looking for something he responded “ something smells terrible, like sh**. I was at that stage stirring in the fish sauce! Almost put him off trying the dish but was very complimentary and polished it off stating he had really enjoyed it! will definitely make again 😊
5 stars! I know this will be a family favorite. My wife is a very picky eater and she can’t have any type of peppers whatsoever because they trigger migraines.
So I skipped the peppers, substituted the fish sauce with a 1:1 coconut aminos because neither of us can stand the smell of the fish sauce, and I used the biggest pan that I have and cooked on high heat the entire time and it caramelized just like the recipe said it would.
I served it over brown rice with steamed broccoli. Superb!
This looks like a Filipino Sweet Giniling(Ground Meat Dishes) that is very common in my Home Province in Quezon. I think the difference is in terms of Fish Sauce, we otherwise used Soy sauce or/and vinegar. And Honey is used aside from Coconut Sugar. Plus the additions of Calamansi or Lemon. Garnishment is only optional.
Wow! Just made this recipe. And it was so easy. Definitely will be adding it to the rotation! Had no issue with caramelization- high heat is key! Served with rice noodles and topped with chopped fresh green onion.
A delicious dish. I also have never gotten this to caramelize. I use a wok. The sauce just stays thin and eventually evaporates. I use 6 Tbs brown sugar & 3 Tbs fish sauce. Great taste.
Hi Kim, once it reduces, the sugars will caramelise, you may just need a slightly higher heat or slightly longer in the pan. N x
I saw your response to the other woman who also could not get this to caramelize.
I’m sorry but once it reduces that’s it. The sauce is a liquid that just simmers away. It never crosses over to caramelization. I have made this at least 6x because it tastes so great!!
Is the wok simply the wrong choice?
None of the comments are mentioning this but this dish will make your house smell absolutely disgusting. It smells like wet dog and kitty litter. We had to open the windows and it was really hard to get people to take the first bite.
BUT ITS INCREDIBLE. This dish is one of the most intriguing meals I’ve ever made. It really exemplifies the weird power of the fish sauce, which I’ve never used in a quantity of just a few dashes before. This dish will amaze people because they will think it smells awful, and not want to take a bite. But when you get them to try it it will blow them away.
For anyone unsure of this recipe, fish sauce SMELLS bad, and smells like fish; but the taste is completely different, like not even in the same category. I highly recommend this dish to anyone, and DO NOT substitute the fish sauce even if you do not like fish, because it will not taste like fish at all. My bf will not eat fish no matter what. He LOVED this meal but hates the way the house smells right now.
Another tip: at my grocery store, I only had Serrano peppers available. They worked well. They are a type of chili pepper. I used half of one pepper, did not include seeds, and cut it very small. This made a medium spice that anyone can handle. I don’t recommend using it as a garnish unless you are a hot pepper aficionado.
I also cut up some extra green onion, the darker part, and added it to the pan to fry with the rest of the onions.
Have made this half a dozen times. I have never been able to get it to caramelize properly, but love it anyway. I serve it with sliced cucumber, rice, Vietnamese pickled carrots, green onions, and hoisin.
Hi Sarah! Good heavy based skillet and strong stove helps 🙂 Otherwise, just stop stirring to give it a chance to caramelise! Oh, also skillet size – small skillet is harder to make things caramelise 🙂 N x
I started cooking this for my family a couple of months ago and we absolutely love it! So easy to make and incredibly tasty. Although I have to confess to adding a little more ginger and adding a few lime leaves and sometimes using palm sugar. This one is definitely a keeper. I will certainly try some of your other recipes, Thank you Nagi, love from the UK xx
Can I use white sugar instead of brown sugar?
Hi, would 5tbsp of sugar too sweet for this recipe? Im only asking because I like my food more on the savory side than sweet. Thanks!!
I made this and found that it wasn’t actually that sweet. The dish overall is still quite savory, you could try adding more fish sauce to increase the saltiness though.
This recipe is everything you said it is.
It’s so simple but it tastes so complex.
Thanks for another brilliant recipe.
You’re so welcome Ouise!! N x
Made this recipe with pork and it was incredible! We made bowls with rice and the Asian slaw recommended it was amazing super flavourful. I have made this recipe before with chicken mince and it didn’t work so would definitely recommend pork!
Amazing and quick recipe for weeknight cravings. I’m confused though, the Notes below the recipe mention lemongrass but there is none in the recipe. Should there be lemongrass in this?
Hi Cat, I mention this in the post – 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! N x