Spicy Pork Stir-Fry
A pantry stir fry rather than a regional one: thin-sliced pork browned hard, hard vegetables cooked fast, and a savory sauce of soy, hoisin and tahini poured in at the end. Ten minutes at the stove once the chopping is done.
Ingredients
For the Pork
- 3/4 pound pork chops or cutlets boneless, sliced thin across the grain
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari for the marinade
- 1 tablespoon chili oil or peanut or other neutral oil
For the Sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon tahini standing in for Chinese sesame paste
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 cup water cold
For the Stir Fry
- 3 medium carrots thinly sliced on an angle
- 2 stalks celery thinly sliced on an angle
- 1 medium green bell pepper thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup frozen peas straight from frozen
- 1 8 oz can water chestnuts drained and sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger peeled and grated, about a 2-inch piece
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 serrano chile thinly sliced, seeded for less heat
To Finish
- 2 scallions thinly sliced on an angle
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- cooked rice for serving
Instructions
Prep and Mix the Sauce
- First, slice the pork thin across the grain and toss it with the 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. Leave it to sit while you prepare everything else. Freezing the pork for 20 minutes beforehand makes it far easier to slice cleanly.
- Next, whisk the remaining 1/4 cup soy sauce with the hoisin, tahini, cornstarch, sesame oil and cold water until completely smooth, and set the bowl next to the stove. Chop all the vegetables and line them up in the order they are used, because once the pan is hot there is no time to prepare anything.
Stir Fry
- Then heat a wok or the heaviest wide skillet you own over high heat for a good two minutes, until a drop of water skitters across it. Swirl in the chili oil, add the pork in a single layer, and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring, until no longer pink and lightly browned. Lift it out onto a plate with a slotted spoon.
- After that, add another spoonful of oil if the pan looks dry, then the carrots, celery and bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until nearly tender.
- Add the peas and water chestnuts, then the garlic and ginger, and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant. Add the sliced serrano and cook for another 30 seconds.
Sauce and Serve
- Return the pork and any juices to the pan, pour in the sauce, stir, and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for a full minute so the cornstarch thickens properly.
- Finally, take the pan off the heat and stir through the scallions, cilantro and sesame seeds. Serve over rice straight away.
Notes
Pork: freeze it for 20 minutes before slicing so it cuts into clean thin strips, and always slice across the grain. Chops, cutlets, tenderloin or shoulder all work.
Heat: three separate sources, so it is easy to adjust. Use plain oil instead of chili oil for a mild version, seed the serrano to soften the burn, and put chili crisp on the table so everyone sets their own level.
Sauce: the cornstarch only thickens at a rolling boil and needs a full minute there. Whisk it into cold liquid, never hot.
Korean version: swap the hoisin and tahini for 2 tablespoons of gochujang, 1 teaspoon of gochugaru and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, and use sliced onion in place of the celery.
Storage: 4 days refrigerated, rice kept separate. Reheat in a hot skillet with a splash of water rather than a microwave.
Nutrition values are an estimate and exclude the rice.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving without rice | Calories: 380kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 1600mg | Potassium: 700mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g