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!)
Myself and the school mums are obsessed with recipe tin eats. Have never cooked a dud. This one is great, I make it into a sort of poke bowl – section of mince, grated carrot, chopped avocado. Kids eat it yay!
Sounds amazing Claire and if the kids eat it then it’s a sure winner!
Delicious thank you
You’re so welcome Litsa!
This might be a silly question but does this brown sugar you use have a specific name? It looks a lot different to the one I have in my cupboard which looks like this –
https://i.etsystatic.com/10511149/r/il/cac1c1/866062586/il_fullxfull.866062586_3w59.jpg
Hi Antony, the link looks like raw sugar to me. Brown sugar has a finer grain and is slightly wet. N x
Made this for dinner last night it was so quick and simple to make – all ingredients already in my fridge/pantry.
Will be a regular in our house from now on
Perfect Patsy!
Absolutely delicious, a great quick and very tasty dish for time poor families. This will be a regular for sure.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Rosemary – N x
Wow! This was so good! Had to double it because of two teenage boys. Everyone loved it! This will be on the regular rotation! Thank you so much for another great recipe!
I’m so glad it was a hit Pam – N x
YUM! Made this tonight with ground beef…was amazing! Next time I will add a second (or third) Thai chili. Thank you for the recipe, now to try others!
Perfect Kathryn!
Such a beautiful recipe with minimal ingredients. Thanks so much.
It was delicious. Very nice recipe and very easy to make.
Wahooo, thanks for the feedback Charmaine!
I don’t have brown sugar at home. Can I substitute with regular sugar or will it taste too sweet?
I just made this for dinner and it was soooo easy and delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!
You’re so welcome Sarah!!
Excellent. Delicious. There isn’t much sauce and so my family found we didn’t eat it with as much rice. I served with roasted broccoli and carrots.
This was absolutely delicious and definitely what we needed on Sunday night after a busy weekend away. Ok so its got sugar, but it was so quick and easy and super comforting – even the part time vegetarian teenager loved it! We served it with coconut rice, baby spinach, tomato quarters and cucumber. Thank you Nagi.
That’s great to hear Kathy! Thanks so much – N x
Hello! And thank you for ANOTHER yummy recipe ! Just made this for my picky eater son and we both love this ! So quick to make and delicious ! We had the left over spaghetti bake for lunch …… was even better ! Making the indian butte chicken tomorrow. …. it’s marinating in the fridge 😉. Thank you thank you ! Can’t wait to make another recipe and another and another !
You’re so welcome Michelle, I hope you love the butter chicken!
did one comment already but I will do another to be sure!!!!
Oh my gosh. This was so good. It didn’t smell good at first but cooked down to a complex flavor. I can’t have heat due to radiation damage so used bell peppers. But is one of the best dishes I’ve cooked in awhile. Thank you!
I’m so glad you loved it Julie!
Forgot to say that I added about 1.5 teaspoons of lemon grass paste with the brown sugar . Perfect 😄
Yum! That’s a great idea Sue ❤️
Only one word , YUM !
Needed longer time to caramelise but end result was delicious.
Another fabulous recipe Nagi 😄
Thanks so much Sue!
This was awesome. I served it over coconut rice, kids and adults loved it. I used extra garlic and chilli sauce for the adults as I didn’t think it was spicy enough for me.
Sounds great Mel – perfect with coconut rice 🙂
Hi can’t wait to try this dish There is a lot of sugar in this dish can I omit 4 1/2 tbsp ? What will that do to the taste of dish.
Hi Raywyn, it is supposed to be sweet as it is a caramel pork bowl – You can’t omit the sugar in this unfortunately – N x