Vietnamese Pork Fried Rice

Leftover rice and ground pork are the main ingredients in Vietnamese Pork Fried Rice. Prepared with eggs, garlic, ginger, and green onions, and seasoned with fish sauce, this rice is a complete meal all on its own!

VIETNAMESE PORK FRIED RICE

Leftover rice is always something you can find in our fridge. That’s why I’m always trying to find inventive ways to use it up. Vietnamese Pork Fried Rice is a great way to do just that. There’s nothing about this recipe that feels or tastes leftover!

Remember my Leftover Tomato Lime Fried Rice? That’s still one of my favourites! I used to be one of those people who didn’t care too much for leftovers. But now, I just try my best to re-invent them so that I don’t feel like I’m eating the same thing over and over again.

This recipe requires a few ingredients that you might not have on hand. Those ingredients would be ground pork, fresh ginger, and fish sauce. Because I cook or bake every day, I always have a well-stocked fridge and pantry.

Don’t let that put you off though. If you don’t have fish sauce on hand, for example, you know I have a substitution in mind for you!

HERE’S WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:

1. Ground Pork – Sometimes called pork mince. It’s just like ground chicken or ground beef – only pork! Can you use ground beef, chicken, or turkey instead? Yes!
2. Ginger – Fresh ginger is the best. I don’t always have fresh ginger on hand, but I do keep a jar of minced ginger in my fridge. You can use that or you can use ground ginger from your spice rack. If using dry ground ginger, use the same amount as you would fresh ginger.
3. Garlic – Likewise, fresh garlic is best. If you must use garlic powder, use 1/4 teaspoon in place of the two teaspoons of fresh garlic.
4. Brown Sugar – This adds sweetness and helps with the caramelization. You can use white sugar, but the dish will taste better with brown sugar.
5. Eggs – I use 4 large eggs in this recipe. Fried rice just isn’t fried rice without eggs!
6. Leftover Rice – This recipe calls for 6 cups of leftover rice. Yes, that’s a lot of rice, but this is a main dish, so you won’t need to serve anything else with it. I never have that much rice leftover, so I cook rice specifically for this dish a day ahead.
7. Green Onions – These make the dish colourful and add some fresh onion flavour.
8. Lime and Sesame Seeds – These are both used for garnish and flavour. I call them my finishing ingredients.

FISH SAUCE

I could have included fish sauce in the list of ingredients above, but I thought this one needed a paragraph of its own. To explain what fish sauce is, I have relied on my Google sleuthing capabilities!

Fish sauce is made from fish which has been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is widely used as a staple seasoning in East and Southeast Asian cuisine. Because of its ability to impart a savory umami flavour, it has been embraced globally by chefs and home cooks.

Vietnamese fish sauce is made with anchovies, mackerel, scabbard fish and salt. They do not have any additives like sugar and they prefer sauces without a strong smell. Their sauce is transparent with a deep golden amber color.

If you don’t have any fish sauce, here’s what you can do. Leave it out. Skip it. Omit it. Forget about it. Some cooks will tell you to substitute it with soy sauce, but it’s not the same and the dish will be too salty. The best substitute is half soy sauce and half rice vinegar.

HOW TO MAKE VIETNAMESE PORK FRIED RICE:

1. Add one tablespoon of the oil and all of the pork to a large skillet. Over medium-high heat, cook the pork for 5-7 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to break up the ground pork as it cooks.
2. Add in the brown sugar. Toss well to coat the pork and continue frying for 3-4 more minutes. Transfer the pork out of the skillet and into a glass bowl. Set aside.
3. Add the remaining two tablespoons of oil to the skillet. Add the garlic and ginger. Cook for 3 minutes.
4. Next, add in the whisked eggs, ground black pepper, and fish sauce.
5. Cook the eggs as if you were preparing scrambled eggs. Keep them moving around the pan with your wooden spoon until they are no longer runny.
6. Add the leftover rice to the eggs. Toss to break up the cold rice.
7. Add the ground pork back to the skillet. Toss to combine with the rice.
8. Once the rice is fully heated through, turn off the heat. Add the green onions and sesame seeds. Toss and serve immediately with more green onions and sesame seeds to garnish.

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