Pork Stir Fry with Green Onion Recipe

Name: Pork Stir Fry With Green Onion
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 pound pork loin or boneless pork chops; 2 tablespoons soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce if cooking gluten-free); 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 teaspoon cornstarch; 4 tablespoons peanut oil or canola oil; 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced; 8-12 scallions, sliced diagonally into 1 to 2-inch pieces, green and white parts included; 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil (optional); Cooked rice , to serve

Don't you love a good stir-fry?

The following stir-fried pork recipe couldn't be easier. All you need is lean pork, some green onions, garlic, and a simple marinade.

The good thing about stir-fries is that you don't need a lot of fancy ingredients to have a perfectly presentable dish. All you need is a pan and a cooking oil that can take high heat. Woks work well for this, as do large pans of cast iron or hard anodized aluminum.

I adapted this recipe from a recipe in the excellent The Cultural Revolution Cookbook by Sasha Gong and Scott Seligman. During China's Cultural Revolution, many urban Chinese were forced to move to the countryside. This book details dishes that were made during this time, in the rural areas where only the most simple ingredients were available.

Tips for a Good Pork Stir Fry

Marinate thin strips of pork first in a mixture of soy sauce, a little sugar, and cornstarch. The cornstarch marinade is a useful trick to help keep the pork from drying out when it gets cooked on that high heat. The sugar is just enough to create some caramelization for added flavor.

It helps but isn't necessary to have a well seasoned wok. Years ago I had this big wok with wooden handles, well seasoned, in spite of a housemate's attempt one day to scour off all of the pan's beautiful black seasoning I had worked so hard to create.

I don't know what eventually became of that wok; these days I'm using a non-stick enamel cast iron wok. It does a great job with high heat, it's stick-free and I don't have to worry about it rusting.

Pork Stir Fry with Green Onions — Elise Bauer

A Recipe That's Easy to Adapt

Consider this recipe a base for experimentation, though it is satisfying enough, unadorned. You could easily add some chile to the hot oil, or ginger, red bell pepper, mushrooms, or water chestnuts to the pork. Sprinkle on some fresh cilantro or toasted sesame seeds for a garnish too if you would like.

Try These Other Stir Fry Recipes

Pork Stir Fry With Green Onion

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 5 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Servings 4 servings

You can substitute the green onions with Chinese chives (much thicker than regular chives), if available.

If you want to spice this up a bit, add some chili pepper flakes to the hot oil with the garlic, and/or add some minced fresh ginger with the pork.

Adapted from The Cultural Revolution Cookbook by Sasha Gong and Scott Seligman.

1 pound pork loin or boneless pork chops
2 tablespoons soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce if cooking gluten-free)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
4 tablespoons peanut or canola oil
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
8-12 medium scallions, sliced diagonally into 1 to 2-inch pieces, green and white parts included
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, optional
Cooked rice, to serve

Prepare the pork:

Pork chops tend to come in thicknesses either around 1/2 inch thick or an inch thick. If you are working with a thick boneless pork chop, start by slicing it into two thin layers, horizontally. If starting with pork loin, cut slices 1/2 inch thick.

Put the slices under some plastic wrap or wax paper and pound them thin with a rubber mallet, meat mallet or even an empty wine bottle. This will help tenderize the meat. The slices should be about 1/4 inch thick.

Cut the pork across the grain into thin strips, about 1 1/2 inches long.
Marinate the pork:

Put the soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch into a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the pork strips to the bowl with the marinade and toss to coat completely. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.
Stir fry pork on high heat:

Heat the peanut oil in a wok or large sauté pan on high heat. When the oil is hot (shimmering but not smoking) add the garlic slices and stir-fry until they begin to turn brown at the edges, about 30 seconds.

Add the pork strips and stir-fry until the pork changes color, about 90 seconds, stirring constantly.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer
Add in green onions and sesame oil:

Add the sliced green onions and continue to stir-fry for another minute, or until the green onions wilt. Turn off the heat and stir in the sesame oil, if using.

Elise Bauer
Serve:

Serve immediately. Serve alone (paleo and low carb), or with rice.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
406	Calories
29g	Fat
6g	Carbs
32g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	406
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 29g	38%
Saturated Fat 7g	33%
Cholesterol 85mg	28%
Sodium 325mg	14%
Total Carbohydrate 6g	2%
Dietary Fiber 1g	5%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 32g
Vitamin C 10mg	48%
Calcium 51mg	4%
Iron 1mg	8%
Potassium 572mg	12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.