Chinese Stir-Fried Pork with Zucchini and Bell Pepper Recipe
A colorful dish of thin slices of pork stir-fried with zucchini and bell pepper in a simple, aromatic sauce. In China, quick wok dishes like this are everyday food – a bit like our “one-pan dinner”, just with soy sauce and ginger.
Fast stir-fries with thinly sliced meat and vegetables are a classic of home cooking in China – they land in the middle of the table as one of several shared dishes. The sauce is quite light and is meant to just coat the ingredients rather than turn into a thick stew.
This dish combines quick wok cooking with simple ingredients you can find in almost any supermarket. Thinly sliced pork stays juicy, the vegetables remain pleasantly crisp, and the light soy-ginger sauce ties everything together without being heavy or greasy.
Why this version works
- Thin strips of pork loin marinated with starch stay tender even with quick, high-heat frying.
- Searing the meat separately over high heat prevents it from releasing too much juice and stewing.
- A starch-thickened sauce clings better to the ingredients and pairs perfectly with rice.
- Adding the vegetables to a very hot pan preserves their color and a slight crunch.
Chef's tips
Slice the meat as thinly as you can – it cooks faster and stays more tender. Make sure the pan or wok is really hot before adding the pork so it sears instead of stewing. Have all ingredients prepped in advance, because once you start stir-frying, everything goes very quickly.
How to serve
Serve in deep bowls with steamed jasmine or basmati rice. For a more filling meal, add a side of simple cucumber salad with rice vinegar and sesame oil. You can also serve it over wheat noodles for a Chinese-style “noodle bowl”.
Watch out for
- Do not overcrowd the pan with meat – if your pan is small, fry in batches, otherwise it will start stewing in its own juices.
- Do not add the sauce over too low a heat, because the starch will not thicken evenly and the sauce will stay watery.
- Do not slice the pork loin along the grain – the strips will shrink and toughen as they fry.
Substitutions
- You can replace pork loin with pork tenderloin, shortening the frying time by 1–2 minutes.
- You can swap the zucchini for green beans, increasing their frying time to about 5 minutes.
- Chili flakes can be replaced with hot ground pepper or omitted for a milder version.
Ingredients
- boneless pork loin or shoulder, thinly sliced - 300 g
- zucchini medium - 1 piece
- bell pepper - 1 piece
- onion medium - 0.5 pieces
- garlic - 3 cloves
- fresh ginger piece about 2 cm - 15 g
- soy sauce - 3 tablespoons
- rice vinegar can be replaced with apple cider vinegar - 1 tablespoon
- sugar - 1 teaspoon
- potato or corn starch - 1 tablespoon
- oil for frying - 3 tablespoons
- chili flakes or hot ground pepper or less, to taste - 0.5 teaspoons
- water for the sauce - 80 ml
Preparation
- Cut the meat into very thin strips, preferably across the grain. Transfer to a bowl, add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and half of the starch, mix and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Wash the zucchini, cut it in half lengthwise, then slice into thin half-moons. Remove the seeds from the bell pepper and cut it into thin strips. Slice the onion into thin wedges.
- Peel and finely chop the garlic. Peel the ginger and cut it into thin matchsticks or finely chop it.
- In a small bowl, mix the remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, chili flakes, water and the rest of the starch until there are no lumps.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan or wok over high heat. Add the meat and stir-fry for 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently, until it changes color and is lightly browned. Transfer the meat to a plate.
- In the same pan add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and fry for 1–2 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring, until fragrant and the onion softens slightly.
- Add the bell pepper and zucchini. Stir-fry for 3–4 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables soften but are still slightly crisp.
- Return the fried pork to the pan. Stir, then pour in the prepared sauce. Cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens and evenly coats the meat and vegetables.
- Taste and, if needed, season with a little more soy sauce or a pinch of sugar. Serve immediately, preferably with hot rice.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
This is one of those weeknight dishes that feels special but comes together in minutes. It’s very forgiving: you can swap in whatever vegetables you have on hand and adjust the level of heat to your taste.
