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!)
Fabulous, definitely will make this again
Is it light brown sugar or dark brown sugar? Also if the pork mince was frozen can it be refrozen once cooked?
Thanks
Hi Howard! Either light or dark is fine for this one. If raw mince was frozen, once cooked yes you can freeze again! N x
Goes great in fresh rice paper rolls with peanut dipping sauce! Hubby loved it. Make sure you get that temp nice and high and don’t let it simmer or cook for too long. You want to keep the juices in and the pork not overcooked and dry.
Thanks so much for getting back to me ! About to cook it so I’ll let you know the results!!!
Do you think I could use thinly sliced pork tenderloin in place if the ground pork?
BTW, I love your website and recipes…
Quick, easy, and flavorful!
This deserves 5 stars for just how quick & easy this is! Not to mention delicious. I added an extra chilli into the mince and also a whole grated carrot (just before adding sugar and fish sauce) and 1 tbsp soy sauce. I would recommend cooking this on a stainless steel pan rather than non stick if you have trouble getting that amazing caramelization. The crispy sticky bits are the best!
No, you cannot use a nonstick pan because nonstick pans are not supposed to be heated on high and this recipe needs cooking on high the entire time.
I made this and it was so delicious! My picky family really liked it too. My pork was so fatty so it took a bit more time to caramelize but it was so worth it! I added a bit of cilantro and I wish I made more! Thank you for this recipe!
This was super easy and tasty! We worked late and needed something quick to make. This came to the rescue. I subbed soy sauce for fish sauce, used twice the amount of ginger and garlic, and let it caramelize longer each time. I was afraid I was going to burn it (but I didn’t). Finally I added a splash of water at the end to deglaze the pan so there was a touch of sauce. It was delicious! Thank you!
This was amazing! I can see how others would say too sweet, but that is only if you don’t eat with the chili’s or Sriracha. When you do eat with Sriracha, it is the PERFECT balance of sweet and hot. SO GOOD! I would recommend less sugar only if you don’t add the heat.
This was so easy and so good! My husband devoured it, thank you!
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for posting this simple and quick recipe. My husband and 4 year old enjoyed eating it. I went very easy on the sugar (using only 1 tbspn of jaggery) and added a half tbsnp more of fish sauce. I’m so happy with this dish. Will definitely make it again.
This was so good! I have been cooking more since we’re home all the time and cooking is not my favorite thing as the end result is not always great. This was so easy and so fantastic. Also versatile – could do so many things with it! My husband who is a professional chef loved it too. Thank you!
Would have given it 5 stars but our family found it waaaay too sweet with 5 tbsp sugar! Probably would be adequate with 1 or 2. Will retry with less sugar next time
I made this with cauliflower rice. I actually seasoned the rice with chinese chives, onions ginger garlic enough to were it wasn’t super bland and it all came out fantastic!!!!!
Is ground pork too fatty to use or would you mince/grind pork loin for a more lean result?
Hi Reiko, I use ground pork in this recipe – I wouldn’t use lean pork otherwise it will be a little dry. N x
I’m making it today for my lunch, sounds delicious, thank you!!!
Yum! Enjoy Patricia!! N X
Was great but took a while to get brown
Hi Nagi, mine doesn’t seem to caramelise properly and stays a light brown colour rather the lovely dark sticky look in the video. What am I doing wrong! Still tastes amazing though haha!
Hi Lisa, try a higher heat towards the end to get the sauce caramelising 🙂 N x
This recipe is awesome and simple!
I made this tonight for my son and he couldn’t stop raving about how good it was. I left out the chilies and he added his own sriracha to taste. The only thing I would do differently next time is more garlic and ginger. I look forward to trying it with ground chicken, too. This recipe is a keeper.
That was absolutely delicious! I agreed with one comment about the salt, so I too added some soy sauce and it gave it another depth of flavor.
Also, mind didn’t have that gorgeous deeply brown color, but the taste was incredible. Thank you!