Spicy Pork and Green Bean Stir-Fry
A fast, fiery stir-fry of juicy pork mince and crisp green beans coated in a glossy soy and chili sauce. Ready in under 20 minutes and packed with protein.
- Total
- 17 min
- Prep 6 · Cook 11
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Stir-frying
- Savory
- Quick
- Asian
- Spicy
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Trim the green beans and cut them into 3 cm lengths. Finely chop the garlic and chili.
~4 min
-
Heat the oil in a wok over high heat until it shimmers. Add the pork mince and spread it in a single layer. Cook without stirring for 2 minutes to brown, then break it up and stir-fry for 2 more minutes until no pink remains.
~2 min
Letting the pork sit undisturbed creates a brown crust through Maillard browning, while stirring too soon releases moisture and steams the meat.
Let the pork sit undisturbed for the first two minutes so it develops a deep brown crust instead of steaming.
Searing Spread the pork in a single layer and leave it undisturbed for 2 minutes to develop a deep brown crust. Moving it too early steams the meat instead of browning.
-
Push the pork to one side, add the garlic, chili, paprika, ground cumin, salt and black pepper to the hot oil and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
~1 min
Blooming the spices in hot oil for 30 seconds dissolves their fat-soluble flavors, making them more aromatic and evenly distributed.
Stir-frying Keep the wok very hot and toss ingredients constantly so they cook quickly without steaming. Overcrowding or low heat makes vegetables soggy instead of crisp-tender.
-
Add the green beans and stir-fry for 3 minutes until they are bright green and crisp-tender.
~3 min
High-heat stir-frying keeps the beans bright green and crisp-tender by quickly evaporating surface moisture without overcooking them.
If the green beans are thick, add a splash of water and cover the wok for one minute to steam them through.
Stir-frying Keep the wok very hot and toss ingredients constantly so they cook quickly without steaming. Overcrowding or low heat makes vegetables soggy instead of crisp-tender.
-
Pour in the soy sauce and toss for 1 minute until the sauce coats the pork and beans. Serve hot.
~1 min
Tossing the soy sauce for one minute allows it to reduce slightly and coat the pork and beans in a glossy, flavorful glaze.
Stir-frying Keep the wok very hot and toss ingredients constantly so they cook quickly without steaming. Overcrowding or low heat makes vegetables soggy instead of crisp-tender.