Pork stir fry with fresh green peppers (青椒炒肉)is the national dish enjoy the highest popularity on Chinese table, similar to tomato and egg stir fry.
Stir frying is hard to control for lots of people outside China. Due to the high fire, the meat can be overcooked very quickly and thus turns quite hard to chewy. But a perfectly done stir fry is a brilliant dish even it calls very humble and common ingredients. After this post, you can freestyle your pork stir fry with other ingredients, like carrots, celery or red onion. But this is the most classic one.
In Chinese stir-frying, we marinating the meat with a couple of ingredients with several purposes. The first one is to give the meat a basic flavor, using soy sauce, salt, white pepper and etc. And the second one is to make the meat juicy itself by adding some liquid. The last purpose is to add a protecting shell with the help of starch to keep the meat from overcooking by the high heat of the wok and keep the juice inside.
When meeting hot oil, the starch begins the process of gelation. But when the oil is too hot or the oil is insufficient, the shreds might sticky to the bottom of your wok (since wok is not non-stick cook). So we need to add the pork shreds when the temperature of the oil is not too high.
So the basic step for a perfectly done shredded pork stir fry is to heat your wok or pan firstly (so we can remain a relative stable temperature after adding the cold pork). Mix some cold oil with marinated pork (avoid sticking) and add the pork when the oil is warm. Quickly fry the shredded pork for 6- 10 seconds until the white color turns pale and non-stick.
Ingredients
- 200g pork butt, cut into similar slices
- 3-4 fresh peppers, remove the seeds and finely shredded
- ¼ cup of vegetable cooking oil (we will not intake all of them)
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
Marinating ingredients
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ tsp. white pepper
- 4 tbsp. water or chicken stock
- ½ tsp. sugar
- ½ tbsp. cooking wine (Shaoxing wine)
- 3 tsp. cornstarch
- 2 tsp. vegetable cooking oil
Instructions
Cut pork into small thin slices. Transfer the pork shreds to a larger bowl, add sugar, salt, white pepper, light soy sauce, water and cooking wine. Combine well and make sure the pork absorbing all the liquid and marinating for at least 15 minutes. Add cornstarch and mix well.
Mix in 2 teaspoons of vegetable cooking oil before frying.
Heat the wok firstly until really hot and then add oil and continue heating for 30 seconds. Add the pork shreds in and fry quickly for no more than 10 seconds or until the sheds changes turns pale. It is completely ok if it contains some pink inside. If you are working with an insufficient heat, you can cook the pork in two batches.
The remaining heat will continue cook it after transferring out. Transfer out the pork immediately and remove extra oil. Leave only 1 tablespoon of oil inside and fry garlic until aromatic. Place green pepper in, fry for 10 to 20 seconds until slightly softened. Sprinkle a small amount of salt and drizzle light soy sauce around the edges. Mix with pork and serve hot.
Other quick stir fry recipes
Pork and Pepper Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 200 g pork butt or tenderloin ,thinly sliced
- 3-4 fresh peppers ,remove the seeds and finely shredded
- ¼ cup of vegetable cooking oil ,we will not intake all of them
- 2 garlic cloves ,finely minced
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
Marinating ingredients
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce ,you can mix with ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce for a darker version
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. white pepper
- ½ tsp. sugar
- ½ tbsp. cooking wine ,Shaoxing wine
- 4 tbsp. water or chicken stock.
- 3 tsp. cornstarch
- 2 tsp. vegetable cooking oil
Instructions
- Cut pork into small thin slices.
- Transfer the pork to a larger bowl, add sugar, salt, white pepper, light soy sauce, cooking wine and water. Combine well and make sure the pork absorbing all the liquid and marinating for at least 15 minutes.
- Then add cornstarch and mix well. Then mix in 2 teaspoons of vegetable cooking oil.
- Heat the wok firstly until really hot and then add oil and continue heating for 30 seconds. Add the pork shreds in and fry quickly for no more than 10 seconds or until the sheds changes turns pale. It is completely ok if it contains some pink inside. The remaining heat will continue cook it after transferring out. If you are working with an insufficient heat, you can cook the pork in two batches.
- Transfer out the pork immediately and remove extra oil. Leave only 1 tablespoon of oil inside and fry garlic until aromatic. Place shredded pepper slices in, fry for 10 to 20 seconds until slightly softened. Sprinkle a small amount of salt.
- Return pork and give a quick mix. Serve hot!
Nutrition
Krisztina
Hi there, thank you for uploading this recipe! I can't wait to try it. I was wondering if you could recommend a substitute for corn starch? Unfortunately I only have plain white flour at home and am not able to get ahold of other starches at the moment. If I am able to use flour, could you advise me on the portions please?
Elaine
Krisztina,
Plain flour can't work as starch. If you don't have starch on hand, peel the potatoes to make potato starch following this instruction.
JennyO
Simple and delicious! I had a little too much marinade that seeped out onto the plate while I stir-fried the garlic & green peppers but I just drained it before before adding the stir-fried pork back into the wok.
Wok hei! It was fantastic, impressing three teenagers who doubted anything could cook “that fast.”
This is my 3rd recipe from your site that I’ve wok’d, all fantastic, thank you.
Elaine
Thank you so much Jenny for the positive feedbacks!!!
Nicole Ducharme
So good! I only add ginger. Thank you for the recipe.
Elaine
Thank you for the feedback, Nicole!
Miia
Too good, served as a dish with buns and dumplings !!!Highly recommend!!! the meat is so soft and incredabley tasty, the also great addition of vegetables
Elaine
Thanks Miia!!
O Reim
My stove cant go so high so I cooked the pork a little longer.
The starch trick did really good with packing flavor. Yumm
Raven
This looks amazing. May I ask, is this a traditional recipie of any type, or one that you made up? The reason I ask is because i used to work with a wonderful Chef who made a simple yet very yasty dish using pork and green capsicum, and I am trying to find the recipie he may of used.
Elaine
Raven,
This is a very common homestyle pork and pepper stir fry. You can have a try firstly to see whether it is the flavor you are seeking. We also have another version using very spicy long peppers.
Alice D
Do I use regular bell peppers or long peppers? 3 to 4 fir two serving size seem like a lot
Elaine
I use long peppers.
Susan
Instead of pork butt, do you think I can use a leaner part like pork loin? I don’t have butt on hand and trying to get rid of some meat I already have
Elaine
Pork Loin works fine too.
Jyun
Hi, just wondering if I could substitute the pork butt with chicken?
Elaine
100% yes for this one.
Manu
Your blog is such a blessing! I’ve tried so many of your recipes and none of them have failed me. Just made this shredded pork with chilli and it was lovely!
Elaine
Thank you, Manu. I am so happy to read your comment.