Vietnamese Lemongrass Sticky Pork
Servings: 4
Vietnamese Lemongrass Sticky Pork is a restaurant-worthy dish that you can quickly and easily make at home using simple, low-cost ingredients. This stress-free dinner is packed with delicious Asian flavours and will be a big hit with the whole family.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 stalk lemongrass or 1 tbsp lemongrass paste optional, see note 1
- 1 tbsp freshly minced garlic
- 500 g 1 lb 2 oz minced (ground) pork
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp tamari or all-purpose soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce see note 2 for substitutions
- 1 tbsp lime juice see note 3 for substitutions
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp cornflour cornstarch
- 1 tbsp water
TO SERVE
- Steamed jasmine rice
- 4 fried eggs optional
- 1 spring onion scallion, finely sliced
- 1 large red chilli finely sliced (optional)
- 2 Lebanese short cucumbers, sliced
Instructions
- Cook the aromatic flavourings – Heat the olive oil in a deep, heavy-based frying pan over medium–high heat.
- Add the onion, lemongrass and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the pork – Add the pork and cook, stirring, for a further 4–5 minutes until the pork has browned.
- Add the remaining sauce ingredients – Add the dark soy sauce, tamari, fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute, or until the sugar has dissolved.
- Thicken the sauce – Combine the cornflour and water in a small bowl using a spoon. Stir the mixture through the sauce and cook for a further 1–2 minutes or until any residual liquid has absorbed and the pork is cooked through.
- Serve – Divide the rice among four bowls to serve and top with the pork and fried egg (if using). Sprinkle with sliced spring onion and red chilli (if using). Serve with cucumber.
Notes
Note 1 – Lemongrass is optional but creates a wow factor. If using fresh lemongrass, remove the outer layers (they are too tough to eat), cut off the end (the same way you would with a spring onion/scallion) and chop the white part as finely as you can.
Note 2 – If your family tolerates fish sauce, I highly recommend using it as it makes this dish! It can however be substituted with tamari or all-purpose soy sauce at a push.
Note 3 – Fresh lime juice can be substituted with rice wine vinegar or white vinegar.
Make Ahead
Prep this meal ahead for an easy dinner or lunch! Store the cooked rice and the cooked sticky pork in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave until piping hot for best results. If using, cook the fried eggs fresh.Leftovers
Store the leftover sticky pork in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If using, the egg is best eaten immediately. Not suitable to freeze.Scan for full recipe:
