This Mongolian pork recipe is a quick meal your whole family will enjoy. It's full of lean healthy protein, crispy colorful vegetables and and a sweet and savory teriyaki sauce that is not too spicy.
Our family eats pork almost every week. One of our favorite quick meals is Lemon Pepper Pork chops since they are so juicy, flavorful and quickly cooked on the grill. Another tender pork recipe to try is my Dutch Oven Pork Chops.
However, there is just something so delicious about Asian pork recipes. We love all the sweet and savory combinations in the sauces. My husband loves anything spicy so any recipe with a pepper is right up his alley! And you can't beat a stir fry for a quick cooking one pan meal.
Why this recipe is just so good....
- Lean strips of pork tenderloin is a very healthy protein to add to your meals. It also has 0 carbs so is a perfect choice for low carb and keto meals.
- Stir fry recipes are a quick and easy way to get your meat and vegetables and a sauce all in one pan. You can use a large skillet or wok to cook. I like to add a package of steamed cauliflower rice right into the pan of finished food. The sauce coats everything all at once and it tastes delicious!
Ingredient Notes:
You need the following ingredients to make Stir Fried Mongolian Pork:
- pork tenderloin
- cornstarch or Arrowroot powder
- vegetable or canola oil
- garlic paste or garlic powder
- ginger paste or ginger powder
- beef boullion
- water
- oyster sauce *optional
- low sodium soy sauce
- brown or granulated sugar
- green beans
- snow peas
- red bell pepper
- scallions
- To make the easy homemade teriyaki sauce, low sodium soy sauce is preferred if you have it. If you only have regular soy sauce, add a few more tablespoons of water to thin out the sauce and lessen the salt.
- I like to add a bit of beef bouillon or a beef cube to the sauce. It adds to the savory flavor and is a pantry staple most people keep on hand.
- For a low carb version, use sugar substitute and arrowroot powder. You can change out the ingredients to regular brown sugar and cornstarch instead if carbs are not a concern for you.
- I use the paste versions of garlic and ginger. But you can easily use ground. Just use only a teaspoon or two since the ground is more concentrated. Taste the sauce and adjust as you like.
How to make Mongolian Pork Stir Fry:
- Thinly slice the pepper.
- Add a tablespoon of oil to a large fry pan or wok over medium high heat.
- Add the vegetables and stir fry for about 2-3 minutes. They will be lightly browned and crisp-tender. If you like them softer, cook another minute or two.
- Remove vegetables to a bowl or plate.
- Place arrowroot powder in a plastic bag or bowl, add the pork then shake or stir to coat.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok and heat to medium high temperature.
- Stir fry the pork about 4 minutes until lightly browned. Remove pork to the vegetable bowl.
- Combine ingredients for the sauce and add to the wok, bring to a boil. Stir and cook for a minute. Add back the pork and vegetables and cook for a minute to heat through.
- Serve with your choice of rice and sprinkle green onions over dish.
FAQ
Szechuan cuisine is much spicier than Mongolian pork recipes. This is mainly due to the use of Szechuan peppercorns, Chinese 5 spice powder and chili peppers. Teriyaki flavored pork is much milder and more sweet and savory with a brown sauce and green onions.
Szechuan recipes use less vegetables and usually have some crunch from nuts or seeds. While teriyaki beef and pork recipes will have more vegetables stir fried into the dish.
Our family eats pork almost every week. One of our favorite quick meals is Lemon Pepper Pork chops since they are so juicy, flavorful and quickly cooked on the grill. Another tender pork recipe to try is my Dutch Oven Pork Chops. According to Healthline, pork is a very high protein, low sodium and 0 carb meat that is a very healthy choice to include in our meals. Cuts of pork such as loin, sirloin and tenderloin all have about 22-24 grams of protein per 3 ounce serving. Pork has both saturated and unsaturated fat similar to other red meats.
According to Cook's Illustrated, the loin is the tenderest cut to use. Tenderloin or boneless rib or loin chops can be used. These cuts of pork also dry out if overcooked so they are perfect for quickly stir frying with a delicious sauce.
This condiment which originated in China, is made from fermented soy beans. It traditionally does not have any sugar and is low carb and keto friendly. There are some brands that have added sugar to it so always check the labels. Since it is high in salt as well, try to use the low sodium brands.
More quick and easy dinners:
If you tried and enjoyed this recipe, I'd love for you to give it a 5 star rating. This tells me what you like and would like to see more of. Thank you!
PrintMongolian Pork
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Asian
Description
This recipe uses tender strips of boneless pork stir fried quickly in a pan or wok. Add a rich and savory sauce, lots of healthy, crunchy vegetables and some cauliflower rice and you have a low carb meal the whole family will love.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs. pork tenderloin *
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder *
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 3 teaspoons garlic paste or 2 teaspoons powder
- 2 teaspoons ginger paste or 1 teaspoon powder
- 1 teaspoon beef boullion or 1 cube
- ½ cup water
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce *optional
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup Swerve or regular brown sugar *
- ½ lb. green beans
- 6 oz. snow peas
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 2 scallions, chopped
Instructions
- Add one tablespoon oil in pan and heat over medium temperature and stir fry the beans, pea pods and peppers about 2-3 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender. They will be slightly browned. *
- Remove vegetables to bowl or plate.
- Slice the pork in thin long strips, about ⅛ inch thickness.
- Place pork in a zipper plastic bag or a bowl and sprinkle the arrowroot or cornstarch over and shake or stir to cover.
- Put 1 tablespoon oil in a large fry pan or wok and heat over medium heat.
- Remove pork from bag, shake off excess arrowroot powder and place in heated pan.
- Cook pork strips about 4 minutes, stirring until pork is browned. You can turn up the heat a bit if the pork is not browning. Remove cooked pork to the bowl of vegetables.
- Add the sauce ingredients to pan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, stirring the pan for about a minute or two to mix in the browned bits on the bottom. This adds flavor!
- Add the pork and vegetables back to the sauce, heat for 1 minute.
- Serve with cauliflower, brown, jasmine or basmati rice. Sprinkle with chopped scallions.
Notes
*Instead of pork tenderloin, you can use thinly sliced boneless center cut or sirloin pork chops.
*For the low carb version in the sauce, use the Arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch. And use brown sugar Swerve instead of regular brown sugar. If you are not watching carbs, then go ahead and use cornstarch and brown sugar. The flavor is not affected either way.
*If you prefer crisper vegetables, stir fry for a minute less. Stir fry a minute longer, if you prefer softer veggies.
Jodi says
This was great. Made extra sauce
Deb Belsha says
Thanks! Yes we love the sauce too!