Thai Stir-Fry With Minced Pork, Basil, Red Chili Pepper, and Jalapeño

Sometimes, I run out of my main source of protein, which is chicken, and all that I’m left with is usually something ground up, like beef or pork. One of the good ways to utilize ground meat is either in a sauce, like a bolognese for pasta, or tossed with noodles, like the Taiwanese noodles with meat sauce. But here, I decided to turn it into a thai stir-fry. This works well with any kind of ground meat, so it doesn’t necessarily need to be pork. This goes so well with rice and when you add that runny egg too, it tastes heavenly, and I don’t see why you can’t mix it with some chinese noodles too (I’ll have to try that tomorrow)! The recipe is quite simple and you probably have everything you need for the sauces, which you will find is used quite often in any of the other types of asian cuisines.

INGREDIENTS

200-250g of ground pork (or substitute with another ground meat or tofu)
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp minced garlic (about 2-3 cloves)
1 shallot, minced
freshly ground black peppercorn
1 bunch of basil leaves
1 red chili pepper, finely chopped
1 jalapeño, finely chopped
1 egg, fried sunny side-up

Start by heating 1 to 1.5 tbsps of olive oil over medium-high heat in a skillet or wok. Once the pan is hot enough, add in the minced garlic and minced shallots and saute until it becomes fragrant. Add in half of the finely chopped jalapeño and red chili peppers, an reserve the rest for later.

Continue to saute, then add in the ground pork, and break it into small pieces. Now add in the dark and light soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, sugar, freshly ground black peppercorn, and mix well, ensuring the all of the ground pork is coated and well absorbed by the sauce.

When the meat appears to be cooked through, taste for additional seasoning, then add in your basil and the rest of the jalapeño and red chili pepper. Stir until the basil leaves have been wilted, and serve over a bowl of rice, and topped with a fried egg (best if it is sunny side up, because the runny yolk provides an added heavenly taste when everything is mixed together)!

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