Hoisin and Chilli Pork
This is my quick hoisin and chilli pork stir-fry, with tender velvetted pork, zucchini and ginger served with steamed rice.
Ingredients
Directions
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MARINATE PORK
- Step 1: Place the pork in a large bowl, add the cornflour and toss well to coat.
- Step 2: Stir through the Shaoxing and soy sauce, then marinate for 10 minutes to 1 hour.
COOK PORK AND VEG
- Step 1: Heat half the oil in a wok over high heat.
- Step 2: Sear the pork in batches, until just browned, then set aside.
- Step 3: Heat the remaining oil in the wok over high heat.
- Step 4: Add the onion, cook for 1 minute, tossing.
- Step 5: Stir in ginger, garlic and chillies, cook for 30 seconds, stirring.
- Step 6: Add the zucchini and cook until starting to soften.
ADD SAUCE AND SERVE
- Step 1: Return the pork to the wok and stir in the hoisin and fish sauce. Toss well to combine.
- Step 2: Finish with a drizzle of sesame oil and remove from the heat.
- Step 3: Serve immediately with steamed rice.
Video
Equipment
- Chopping board
- Chef’s knife
- Wok or large frying pan
- Wok spatula or tongs
- Large bowl (for marinating)
- Grater or microplane
- Ladle or large spoon
Chef’s Tips
Recipe notes
Prep support
Make sure you remove any silver skin from the pork before slicing it, or ask your butcher to do this for you.
Cook support
Don't have a wok? You can use a large frying pan or saucier instead. Just don't overcrowd your pan as you want it to stay hot.
Substitutions
You can swap out the pork for beef, chicken, tofu or just veg. Also, it's a great recipe to use up extra vegetables that are in the fridge, so feel free to use what you have.
Storage
Ideally eat this immediately after cooking, but if you have leftovers store them in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Serving ideas
You could serve this pork with some egg or wheat noodles, or try rice noodles for a gluten free option other than the steamed rice.
Ingredient notes
Cornflour:
The cornflour in this marinade is doing the work of velveting. Tossing the pork slices in cornflour before adding the wet marinade coats the surface of the meat with a thin layer of starch. On contact with the hot wok, that coat sets into a tender, lightly textured exterior that stays moist even under aggressive heat. Without it, sliced pork fillet in a hot wok will tighten, release moisture, and may come out dry.
Hoisin sauce:
Hoisin is a thick, dark, sweet-savoury Chinese condiment made from fermented soybeans, garlic, and spices. It’s not the same as oyster sauce or black bean sauce: it’s sweeter and more pungent, and it coats ingredients well because of its thick consistency. Different brands vary in sweetness and saltiness, so taste the dish before adding any extra seasoning at the end.
Shaoxing wine:
Shaoxing is a Chinese rice wine used widely in marinades and stir-fries. In this recipe it’s in the pork marinade, where it adds depth and helps the cornflour adhere. It has a warm, slightly nutty flavour and is available in the Asian section of most supermarkets or at Asian grocers. If you can’t find it, dry sherry is a reasonable substitute.
About this recipe
This is one of the easiest (and cheapest) stir fry sauce and I think it rivals your favourite Chinese restaurant.
This is a velveted pork stir-fry built around hoisin and fresh chilli. Velveting is a Chinese technique where the protein is coated in a small amount of cornflour before it hits the wok: the starch forms a thin protective layer around the pork that stays tender even on very high heat. Hoisin sauce is a thick, fermented soybean-based condiment with a deep, slightly sweet savouriness that clings to the meat and vegetables and reduces quickly at wok temperature. The Shaoxing wine and soy marinade penetrates the pork and adds a base layer of seasoning before the cook even starts.
The entire cook from wok on to plate is about 10 minutes, so everything needs to be prepped and ready before you start. You need to make sure your wok is night and hot before you start. A wok that isn’t hot enough will steam the pork instead of searing it, giving you grey, soft meat rather than a browned crust. Cook the pork in batches to keep the wok temperature up, set it aside, then build the vegetable base and sauce in the same wok before everything comes back together at the end. The sesame oil goes in just before the heat goes off. It’s a finishing oil, not a cooking one, and it loses its aroma quickly if added too early.
Keywords: Hoisin and Chilli Pork, Dinner, Chinese, Pork, Stir Fry, Zucchini, Wok, Quick, Spicy, Protein, Easy, hoisin and chilli pork recipe, hoisin pork stir fry, spicy pork stir fry, velveted pork, pork and zucchini stir fry, quick Chinese pork dinner, easy wok pork with rice
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