Pork and Pepper Stir Fry
Makes a great dinner, the original recipe called for celery but I substituted a medium onion. I will be making this one again.
Makes a great dinner, the original recipe called for celery but I substituted a medium onion. I will be making this one again.
- 1 small onion sliced
- 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 pound pork tenderloin
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 teaspoon leaf oregano crumbled
- 1/2 teaspoon leaf thyme crumbled
- 1 dash ground hot red pepper
- bay leaf (optional)
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar twin
- 1/2 teaspoon thickener (not starch) (or 1 tspn cornstarch)
- 2 tablespoon light olive oil
- 1 small red pepper cut thin strips
- 1 small green pepper cut thin strips
- 1 small yellow pepper cut thin strips
- 1 jar mushrooms (straw or buttons) drained
- Carbohydrate 10.1161031117424 g
- Cholesterol 72.8 mg
- Fat 10.9894882670455 g
- Fiber 1.79307794099799 g
- Protein 26.0113000170454 g
- Saturated Fat 2.30713440454546 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (249g)
- Sodium 844.542531439394 mg
- Sugar 8.32302517074444 g
- Trans Fat 0.824650681818179 g
- Calories 243 calories
Step-by-step
- Cut tenderloin into 3-inch lengths; cut each piece into 3/8-inch "sticks". Combine with the soy sauce, lime, garlic, oregano, thyme, hot red pepper, and bay leaf in a medium-size bowl.
- Remove the pork and drain well. Stir the Brown Sugar Twin and not/starch (or cornstarch) into the marinade and reserve.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pork and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes, or until browned. Transfer the pork to serving plate; rinse and dry skillet.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and onion and cook for 5 minutes. Stir the marinade; add to the vegetables and cook for 1 minute. Stir in meat and mushrooms and cook until heated through. Serve and enjoy!
A glossy reduction of soy, citrus, and aromatics clings tightly to tender pork batons while vibrant bell pepper strips retain a distinct snap against the savory baseline. Achieving this textural contrast requires understanding the physical limitations of home cookware and mastering rapid, high-heat execution.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
Crowding the cooking vessel remains the single fastest way to ruin a high-heat protein application. When damp pork pieces enter an overcrowded pan, they release moisture immediately, causing the meat to steam and turn gray rather than develop a deeply browned crust. Cut the tenderloin uniformly into precise 3/8-inch sticks so thermal energy penetrates evenly during the initial two to three minute sear. Furthermore, reserve the marinade completely before the meat touches the hot oil; introducing raw meat juices alongside starches at the wrong stage creates a muddy, burnt residue instead of a glossy glaze. Maintaining medium-high heat across two distinct cooking phases ensures the pork stays succulent while the red, green, and yellow peppers soften for precisely five minutes without losing structural integrity.
Adapting Batch Sizes
Scaling this formulation up for larger gatherings demands careful portion management. Doubling the ingredients requires dividing the pork and vegetables into two separate batches to prevent temperature drops in the skillet. Conversely, reducing the yield by half requires shortening the vegetable reduction phase by thirty seconds to prevent overcooking the aromatics.
