This pork stir fry recipe is made with pork tenderloin, cabbage, carrots and features a homemade stir fry sauce. Stir fry is a favorite at our house and I’m happy with that because it’s a quick, easy and we get some vegetables in.
This site contains affiliate links to products. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
This pork and vegetable stir fry is made with an easy homemade stir fry sauce. It’s a simple combination of soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sugar, garlic and spices that also goes great with beef, shrimp, chicken or plain vegetables.
Use it to make beef and vegetable stir fry or combine it with shrimp and vegetables for more quick and easy weeknight meals.
Ingredients
- Oil - Use oil with a high smoke point, choices include: canola, corn, palm, vegetable, peanut, grapeseed, sunflower and sesame.
- Cabbage - Green cabbage cut into square, bite sized pieces. Red cabbage cut into 1-2 inch strips.
- Carrots - Cut on the bias to make thin, diagonal pieces. Make them about ⅛-¼ inch so that they cook faster.
- Pork - For best results use pork tenderloin so we get tender pork slices without long cooking or marinating times. Cut it into thin slices about ⅛ - ¼ inch.
Recipe tips
- For this pork stir fry we use green cabbage, red cabbage and carrots but you can substitute your favorite vegetables. Good choices include: broccoli, snow peas, bell peppers, mushrooms, baby corn, green beans, sugar snap peas, onion and asparagus.
- Things move quickly with a stir fry, have all the ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start cooking. If you are making side dishes (rice, noodles, grains, etc.) have them ready, or on the way to ready, before you start.
- Cut all of the ingredients roughly the same size so that they cook at the same rate. Keep them bite sized but not too small.
- Don’t stir fry with super cold ingredients. Let the meat, vegetables and sauce sit at room temperature for a little while to get the chill out (provided that it’s cool in your kitchen).
Make the stir fry sauce
Add the water and cornstarch to a jar or a medium bowl. Use a fork or a small whisk to stir the mixture until the cornstarch dissolves. Next, add the reduced sodium soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and crushed red pepper (if using). Stir the stir fry sauce vigorously until combined.
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large, deep, non-stick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the pork slices, arrange them in a single layer and cook 2 minutes.
- Turn each piece and cook another 2-3 minutes until the liquid rendered by the pork cooks out and most, or all, the pink is gone.
- Cook the pork tenderloin slices while stirring for 1-2 minutes or until the pork is cooked through and golden in color.
- Add the vegetables to the skillet and stir well.
- Next, add the prepared sauce and stir well to coat the ingredients.
- Lower the heat, cover and cook until the vegetables reach the desired tenderness.
Serve the pork stir fry with white rice or noodles, garnish with green onions if desired, and enjoy!
You may also like these Asian-inspired recipes:
Follow Us! Subscribe to the newsletter and follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest recipes.
📖 Recipe
Pork Stir Fry
Ingredients
Stir fry ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Oil use a flavorless oil with a high smoke point (we use canola oil)
- 1 pound Pork Tenderloin sliced very thin (about ⅛ - ¼ inch) and pat dry
- 1 teaspoon Salt plus extra if needed at the end (we use kosher salt)
- 10 -12 ounces Green cabbage chopped into roughly 1 inch pieces (about 4-5 cups when cut)
- 3-4 ounces Red Cabbage shredded and cut into 1-2 inch strips (about 1½ cups when shredded)
- 3-4 ounces Carrots sliced thin on the bias/diagonal (about ¾ cup when sliced)
- 1-2 tablespoons Sliced Green Onions for garnish - optional
Stir fry sauce ingredients
- ¼ cup Water
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
- ¼ cup Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Hoisin Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 2 Large Garlic Cloves grated or finely minced
- 1 teaspoon Ginger Powder
- Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper or to taste – leave it out if you don’t like spicy
Instructions
Make the stir fry sauce
- Add the water and cornstarch to a jar or a medium bowl. Use a fork or a small whisk to stir the mixture until the cornstarch dissolves.
- Add the reduced sodium soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and crushed red pepper (if using). Stir the sauce vigorously until combined and set aside.
Make the pork stir fry
- Sprinkle the pork slices with one teaspoon salt.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large, deep, non-stick skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the pork slices, arrange them in a single layer and cook 2 minutes.
- Turn each piece and cook another 2-3 minutes until the liquid rendered by the pork cooks out.
- Cook the pork tenderloin slices while stirring for 1-2 minutes or until the pork is cooked through, no pink should be visible and the outside should have a light golden color.
- Add the vegetables to the skillet and stir well.
- Next, add the sauce and stir well to coat the ingredients with the sauce.
- Lower the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until the vegetables reach the desired tenderness (the less time the crispier the vegetables will be, cook longer if you like them tender). Stir frequently.
- Garnish with sliced green onions, if desired and serve over rice or noodles.
Notes
- If you are serving the pork stir fry with rice or noodles start them first so everything is done at the same time.
- Remove the meat, vegetables and sauce from the refrigerator about ½ hour before cooking to let the chill out (provided that it is cool in your kitchen).
- If you are not using the stir fry sauce right away make sure to give it a good stir right before cooking. The cornstarch will settle at the bottom.
Nutrition
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
Leave a Reply