This stir-fried pork with peppers is a fantastic Thai-influenced recipe that combines pork with crunchy sweet peppers. It is a truly delicious marriage that has wonderful texture. Pork fillet is very lean, but you could also use pork shoulder or tenderloin instead. This recipe also works well with chicken or beef, or simply use lots of vegetables if you want. This dish will go very well with noodles, pasta or just plain rice.
You should always make sure to get Bord Bia Quality Assured pork. Our farmers are producing excellent pork. During one of my Food Trails programmes for RTÉ I visited Truly Irish Country Foods, a fantastic company formed by Irish pig producers across the country.
If using a wok, this stir-fried noodles dish takes just a few minutes to cook. Do make sure to cut every ingredient into uniform sizes. You will get waterchestnuts in most supermarkets. They have very little flavour but they give that great crunchy texture. If you cannot get them you could use bean sprouts instead. Again, this dish is lovely served with rice or noodles, or as a side accompaniment to some grilled fish or chicken.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Fragrant stir-fried pork with peppers
Serves four
450g (1lb) pork fillet, well trimmed
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2½ tbsp dry sherry
4 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp cornflour
3 tbsp rapeseed oil
Three lemon grass stalks, peeled and cut into 5cm (2in) pieces
2 tsp finely chopped fresh root ginger
100g (4oz) shallots, thinly sliced
Three garlic cloves, thinly sliced
One small red pepper, seeded and cut into 2.5cm (1in) pieces
One small yellow pepper, seeded and cut into 2.5cm (1in) pieces
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1½ tsp sugar
1 Cut the pork into thin slices (5cm or 2in long), cutting against the grain. Place in a bowl with one tablespoon of the soy sauce and sherry, two teaspoons of the sesame oil and the cornflour. Mix well and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.2 Heat a wok or large frying pan over a high heat until it is very hot. Add the oil and when it is slightly smoking, add the pork and stir-fry for two minutes, until just browned. Remove the pork from the pan and drain in a sieve.3 Pour off all but one tablespoon of the oil and reheat the wok over a high heat. Crush each piece of the lemon grass with the flat of a cleaver or knife and then add it to the pan with the ginger, shallots and garlic. Stir-fry for 20 seconds, then add the peppers with the remaining soy sauce and sherry, the salt, pepper and sugar and continue to stir-fry for a further three minutes.4 Return the pork to the wok and stir-fry for another four minutes, mixing well. Drizzle in the remaining sesame oil and give the mixture a few stirs. Transfer to a warmed platter.Stir-Fried Noodles with Oriental Vegetables
Serves four
175g (6oz) medium egg noodles
4 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
Six scallions, finely chopped
One small red pepper, seeded and cut into strips
One small yellow pepper, seeded and cut into strips
225g (8oz) mangetout, trimmed
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar
225g (8oz) can water chestnuts, rinsed and thinly sliced
1 Plunge the noodles into a large pan of boiling salted water, remove from the heat and set aside for four minutes. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Drizzle over two teaspoons of the sesame oil and set aside. 2 Heat a wok or large frying pan until it is very hot. Add the rapeseed oil and when it is slightly smoking, add the scallions and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Add the peppers and mangetout and stir-fry for another minute, making sure you coat everything thoroughly with the oil.3 Add two tablespoons of water to the pan with the soy sauce, salt, pepper and sugar and continue to stir-fry for three minutes. Add the noodles and water chestnuts and cook for another two minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked and the noodles have heated through. Stir in the remaining sesame oil, turn out onto a warmed platter and serve at once.
This stir-fried pork with peppers is a fantastic Thai-influenced recipe that combines pork with crunchy sweet peppers. It is a truly delicious marriage that has wonderful texture. Pork fillet is very lean, but you could also use pork shoulder or tenderloin instead. This recipe also works well with chicken or beef, or simply use lots of vegetables if you want. This dish will go very well with noodles, pasta or just plain rice.
You should always make sure to get Bord Bia Quality Assured pork. Our farmers are producing excellent pork. During one of my Food Trails programmes for RTÉ I visited Truly Irish Country Foods, a fantastic company formed by Irish pig producers across the country.
If using a wok, this stir-fried noodles dish takes just a few minutes to cook. Do make sure to cut every ingredient into uniform sizes. You will get waterchestnuts in most supermarkets. They have very little flavour but they give that great crunchy texture. If you cannot get them you could use bean sprouts instead. Again, this dish is lovely served with rice or noodles, or as a side accompaniment to some grilled fish or chicken.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Fragrant stir-fried pork with peppers
Serves four
450g (1lb) pork fillet, well trimmed
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2½ tbsp dry sherry
4 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp cornflour
3 tbsp rapeseed oil
Three lemon grass stalks, peeled and cut into 5cm (2in) pieces
2 tsp finely chopped fresh root ginger
100g (4oz) shallots, thinly sliced
Three garlic cloves, thinly sliced
One small red pepper, seeded and cut into 2.5cm (1in) pieces
One small yellow pepper, seeded and cut into 2.5cm (1in) pieces
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1½ tsp sugar
1 Cut the pork into thin slices (5cm or 2in long), cutting against the grain. Place in a bowl with one tablespoon of the soy sauce and sherry, two teaspoons of the sesame oil and the cornflour. Mix well and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.2 Heat a wok or large frying pan over a high heat until it is very hot. Add the oil and when it is slightly smoking, add the pork and stir-fry for two minutes, until just browned. Remove the pork from the pan and drain in a sieve.3 Pour off all but one tablespoon of the oil and reheat the wok over a high heat. Crush each piece of the lemon grass with the flat of a cleaver or knife and then add it to the pan with the ginger, shallots and garlic. Stir-fry for 20 seconds, then add the peppers with the remaining soy sauce and sherry, the salt, pepper and sugar and continue to stir-fry for a further three minutes.4 Return the pork to the wok and stir-fry for another four minutes, mixing well. Drizzle in the remaining sesame oil and give the mixture a few stirs. Transfer to a warmed platter.Stir-Fried Noodles with Oriental Vegetables
Serves four
175g (6oz) medium egg noodles
4 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
Six scallions, finely chopped
One small red pepper, seeded and cut into strips
One small yellow pepper, seeded and cut into strips
225g (8oz) mangetout, trimmed
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar
225g (8oz) can water chestnuts, rinsed and thinly sliced
1 Plunge the noodles into a large pan of boiling salted water, remove from the heat and set aside for four minutes. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Drizzle over two teaspoons of the sesame oil and set aside. 2 Heat a wok or large frying pan until it is very hot. Add the rapeseed oil and when it is slightly smoking, add the scallions and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Add the peppers and mangetout and stir-fry for another minute, making sure you coat everything thoroughly with the oil.3 Add two tablespoons of water to the pan with the soy sauce, salt, pepper and sugar and continue to stir-fry for three minutes. Add the noodles and water chestnuts and cook for another two minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked and the noodles have heated through. Stir in the remaining sesame oil, turn out onto a warmed platter and serve at once. 
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