Recipe Background
Crispy Pork Stir Fry celebrates new beginnings with its savory, crispy texture.
The scent of sizzling garlic and ginger always takes me back to the bustling, slightly chaotic kitchen of my first apartment in New York. I had just moved to the city with big dreams and a tiny budget. With a keen sense for adventure but not always practicality, I decided to invite my new neighbors for dinner—a bold move given my limited culinary repertoire. I found solace in pork, something approachable yet flexible, which I praised like a true culinary partner. Thinly sliced and dusted with cornstarch, it was the unsung hero on my scratched countertop.
I remember sparking up witty banter with my guests while my canola-oil laden skillet hissed on the stove. The red bell peppers and snow peas were local market finds, vibrant and promising, eagerly tossed around in the pan. A nod to my friend from the West Coast, whose love for soy sauce and a hint of anchovy found their way into my blend, giving the dish its savory depth. The secret tip that night? I let each batch of pork rest briefly, ensuring an impeccable crispy finish.
With anticipation and a touch of fear, I ladled the stir fry over bowls of steaming rice. My impromptu table was scattered with sesame seeds and laughter, marking the start of what would be friendships and culinary tales for years to come. That night, it felt as though the city had opened its arms to me, sharing its vibrant pulse through each bite around my small cramped table.
Ingredients
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 pound pork such as tenderloin or pork chops, thinly sliced and cut into 1/4-inch strips
- kosher salt to taste
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 anchovy fillet roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon canola oil divided
- 1/2 pound snow peas chopped
- 1 red bell pepper cut into 1/4-inch strips
- 3 green onions optional, chopped, for garnish
- sesame seeds optional, to taste, for garnish
Directions
- In a medium pot, cook the rice according to the package instructions. Set the rice aside and keep it warm.
- On a large platter lined with some paper towels, add the pork strips and pat them dry.
- Transfer the pork strips to a medium bowl.
- Add the salt and the cornstarch to the pork strips and toss until coated.
- In the container of a mini food processor or blender, add the garlic, the anchovy, the ginger, the brown sugar, the soy sauce, and the black pepper and pulse until blended.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 teaspoon of the canola oil.
- Add the snow peas and the red bell pepper to the heated oil and cook until tender, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked vegetable mixture to a clean plate and cover to keep it warm.
- Increase the stovetop heat to high.
- In the same skillet, heat the remaining canola oil until it is almost smoking.
- Add the coated pork strips to the very hot oil and cook until crispy and no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the vegetable mixture and 1/2 of the garlic sauce mixture to the crispy pork slices and cook, while stirring quickly, coating the pork slices and the vegetable mixture, but taking care not to burn the mixture due to the sugar in the garlic sauce mixture.
- Add the remaining garlic mixture to the pork mixture and cook until the sauce reaches your desired thickness.
- Serve with the warm rice, garnished with the green onions and the sesame seeds.
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