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!)
Very easy to make. Husband just loved this and went back for seconds. I would have liked a sauce to drizzle over it maybe? Very tasty but it’s all about the sauce for me (which could explain my waistline)! Thanks Nagi.
what can I sub fish sauce with, as I’m allergic to fish etc
Hi Carmen, sub soy sauce here. N x
Excellent, DELISH!
Hi Nagi, thank you so much it was delicious.
Hello,
I made this tonight? It tastes delicious and I just wanted to confirm if it is meant to be quiet a dry dish? If not what should I add to make it not so dry?
Hi D, yes it is supposed to be a dry pork mix – not saucy as you want to reduce the liquid to make it caramelise. 🙂 N x
Nagi
I want to make this so bad but have severe sea food/shellfish allergy. What can I substitute for the fish sauce? I have vegan oyster sauce on hand or soy sauce or what?!?! Please I am hungry like Mr Dozer. 😁
Hi Mary, just use soy in place of the fish sauce – I hope you love it! N x
Incredible flavor & so easy to make! I am Asian & an experienced cook when it comes to Asian food & this one is a keeper!My husband loved it. I substituted ground chicken instead of pork. Love your website but also your beautiful heart & upbeat personality. Thx!
Really delicious and easy to make – I used 2 tbsp. of brown sugar and it worked out great.
This has become a regular dish for our family. Everyone loves it! I’ve used lime juice when I don’t have lemongrass. I’ve also been able to include grated zucchini and mushrooms with the onions to increase my families veggie intake. Thank you, Nagi!
Deeelicious! Thank you Nagi!
I did not have any fresh chilies on hand so I substituted red chili flakes to taste and it was so yummy! Next go I will try the addition of lemon grass as suggested. You are so right…I just wanted to eat this right out of the pan! LOL!
I’m definitely getting the lemongrass paste. Once again I’ll be adding a handful of chilies with seeds and I’m gonna flavor the peanut oil with sichuan peppercorns for that ma la numbing effect. With all that sugar, it can handle all my chilies! I also like serving tomato wedges and (maybe pickled) cucumber slices with it.
This sounds delicious thanks Nagi though I’ll leave the chilli out as my palate can’t cope with it unfortunately. But I was wondering if there’s any reason why I can’t freeze it in individual serves please? I live alone, so try to cook in bulk and freeze for later. Thanks, and I, like so many others, appreciate your hard work. Oh, Ben my Burmese, sends his 😻 for Dozer!
Looking for new recipes whilst in the Vic lockdown. We had this for dinner tonight and it was amazing. Made it with minced turkey. Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes. I love seeing what Dozer is up to, I have a puggalier and she loves the extra walks. Every cloud has a silver lining.
Della X
Hi Nagi
Thanks for looking after us Victorians!!! Its soo frustrating .atm . Anyway your recipes, comforting words & Dozer!!! are something we really look forward to . I love this recipe its a staple and tonights dinner
Hugs from The Harris Family & Boo Boo our furry family member woof! xxx
So good! My kids loved it. I didn’t have lemongrass and spring onions. I’m sure they take it to the next level… next time!!
This was ridiculously yummy! I halved the amount of sugar (attempting to be healthier) and it still tastes amazing!
I have cooked this recipe so many times ones and love it!!!
Everything about this is 5 stars!
Quick: tick
Easy: tick
Cheap: tick
Flavour: all the ticks
Definitely add the lemongrass. Yum!
We were looking for recipes to use some pork mince and knew that we were on a winner when this popped up! My ‘meat-fussy’ teen daughter absolutely devoured it and has asked for it weekly!!! The rest of us loved it too. Served with rice, cucumber, lettuce and finely shredded carrot. Absolutely delicious. Thank you.
Hello from Canada! Made this tonight for lettuce wraps with rice, shredded carrot and julienned cucumber. I didn’t have chili or lemongrass on hand, and I used 2 tbsp less sugar than was written here. It took me 6-8 more minutes to caramelize the pork but it was still so quick and so good! Everyone in my house loves it and requested it on our weekly meal rotation! I’ve been looking for the right ground meat recipe for lettuce wraps, and this was perfect. Thank you!