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!)
So good and so quick to make.
I substituted a combination of Tamari and rice vinegar for the fish sauce and hot pepper flakes instead of the Thai Chili.
I love the way it caramalized. Served it over rice and will make it again. 🇨🇦
This is probably one of my favorite foods on the planet! I could eat this 3 times a week and I hate repeating meals. I always double the recipe.
For the folks saying it’s too dry and too sweet; it’s not supposed to be a standard stir-fry, it’s supposed to be dry (not saucy) and sweet. THAT being said, I’ve found that it really needs some acid to set it off, so I always serve it with halved limes for people to squeeze over top and that absolutely makes it. (I also like to serve it with cilantro if I have any.) I also serve it with sambal oelek on the side for folks who want it a bit more spicy.
It tastes good with a coconut flavor, but coconut milk/cream makes it too watery and the meat is overcooked by the time it’s cooked down so that doesn’t work. HOWEVER if you can find coconut milk/cream POWDER at your local Asian grocer, you can use that to add in the flavor. (Another option would be to make coconut rice.)
If you’re a little shy about the fish sauce, it’s not nearly as strong in the finished dish, but you can also half it for a lighter flavor.
And if you’d like to make your life a bit easier, you can totally use jarred or frozen garlic, ginger, or both. It’s not QUITE as good, but does make things easier. (I often use “gigi paste,” the ginger garlic paste that many Indian dishes start with.)
In all seriousness, thank you, Nagi, for this recipe. I found it during early quarantine (after making the regular caramelized pork bowls a few times) and it always makes my day better. 🙂
P.S. We <3 Dozer too! If it's not too much trouble, give him some pets from us, please!
Great recipe! So tasty I’ll be making this again. No wok, but large skillet worked, just took little longer to carmelize. Added diced red pepper and spinach after carmelized. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Thanks
It is soooo gooooood! Been using this recipe for a while now and you know what. You deserve a comment. There is also endless variations you can do with this, absolutely love it.
I followed this recipe exactly and definitely used the correct amount of brown sugar, even a bit extra but the result was dry, not caramelised and too sweet. Horrible. Disappointing.
Super easy weeknight dinner with a surprisingly amount of flavor. I did not have brown sugar, so I used cane sugar instead. Did not caramelize real well for me, so I added a tsp of dark soy sauce and a little extra fish sauce. Hit the spot! Thanks for a great easy recipe.
This recipe was fabulous. It’s a guide. Everybody has a different taste some like sweet or some like spicier add extra ginger. Add lemon. Make it your own!
Hubby loved it, too sweet for me so 4 stars.
Definitely went with what I had on hand — garlic chili paste for the garlic and chilis, a pantry-forgotten tamarind sauce I used instead of brown sugar, and some added chili crunch. Delicious! Loved the caramelized bits as well as the non-caramelized. Will definitely make again (with the rest of that poor tamarind sauce!)
This is delicious and super easy to throw together. If you make it, I’d recommend a runny egg over the meat..
This one is a firm staple in our household – normally use kangaroo mince, add some veg that needs to be used (chopped up super fine) and it’s always a hit! **when adding “hidden” veg it does take longer to caramelize due to extra water content but it’s totally worth the extra wait!
Hi, Nagi! We loved this meal tonight and were wondering if you had recommendations for making additional “sauce” as my husband really likes the idea of that in his rice.
I LOVE all Nagi’s recipes. And tried most of them! Tonight we tried the Vietnamese Caramel Pork Mince with rice. And this is the first time I’m really disappointed. A good word would be: revolting! So sweet, dry, horrible. And I’m a very experienced cook. Never again.
I love Vietnamese food and this is not even close to it. Just a huge sugar shock.
This is a great, simple, tasty recipe. Easy to whip up mid week. I’ll perfect it next time by taking any excess liquid from the meat before adding the sugar and fish sauce as it didn’t caramelise well.
Yum but instead of fish sauce I used soy and Worcestershire sauce. Ate it with lettuce cups and spring onion
My husband and I love this recipe! We’ve had it a few times now — it’s definitely a family favorite! It usually takes a lot longer to caramelize, but other than that this recipe is perfect!
delicious and easy! i add a squeeze of lime juice at the end which adds a nice touch
Eager to try this recipe & plan to use the lemon grass paste but your recipe doesn’t indicate how much of the paste to use. Please provide that measurement. Thank you!
Sitting across the table from the world’s fussiest toddler who is absolutely devouring this. I left the chilli out for him, but it’s a HUGE hit.
Thank you so much, Nagi. You’re a genius!!
Delicious and sooooo easy. I add bean shoots on top and chopped peanuts. This is a winner every time.