Stir Fried Pork With Lemongrass (香茅炒肉片) is a fragrant Asian stir fry made with tender pork slices, fresh lemongrass and aromatic spices. Quick, easy and perfect with steamed rice.
Watch How To Make Stir Fried Pork with Lemongrass – Recipe Video
A Delicious Quick and Easy Stir Fry – Stir Fried Pork With Lemongrass 香茅炒肉片
Stir Fried Pork With Lemongrass (香茅炒肉片) is a fragrant, savoury and deeply comforting Asian home-style dish made with thinly sliced pork, fresh lemongrass and aromatic spices. The pork is quickly stir-fried over high heat, allowing the finely chopped lemongrass to release its citrusy aroma while keeping the meat tender and juicy.
Balanced with garlic, shallots and curry spices, this dish is light yet flavourful, making it perfect with a bowl of steamed rice. Easy to prepare and incredibly aromatic, this stir-fried pork with lemongrass is a timeless everyday favourite enjoyed in many households.
🥩 Best Pork Cuts for Stir-Fry
For stir-frying, the best pork cuts are those that stay tender and juicy under high heat.
- Pork Shoulder / Pork Butt
- These are slightly fatty and very flavourful. Best for sambal pork and spicy stir-fries. Also they are more forgiving if slightly overcooked. Ideal for everyday home cooking.
- Pork Loin
- They are lean and tender meat that cooks fast. Best for ginger pork and black pepper pork. The tip is to slice thinly and marinate to prevent drying. Ideal for fast and light stir-fry cooking.
- Pork Collar / Pork Neck
- These have an excellent balance of fat and meat. Best for restaurant- style stir fries with caramelised sauces. Ideal for rich and aromatic pork dishes.
- Pork Tenderloin
- They are very tender and very lean meat. Best for light and quick stir-fries, They must be sliced thin and cooked briefly. Ideal for fast and light stir-fry.
Best Thickness for Stir Fry Pork
For best results, slice pork 2–3 mm thick (about 1/8 inch). This allows the pork to cook quickly and evenly over high heat while remaining tender and juicy. Thicker slices may turn chewy before the inside is fully cooked and will not absorb the marinade as well.
How to slice the pork correctly
To ensure tenderness, always slice the pork across the grain. For easier slicing, slightly freeze the pork for about 15 minutes until firm. This helps achieve clean, thin slices without tearing the meat.
What is lemongrass?
Lemongrass is a tall tropical grass with long green leaves and a pale white to light green bulb at the base. It has a fresh citrusy aroma with mild lemon notes and a clean, refreshing fragrance. The flavour is lightly sweet and herbal, coming from natural oils known as citral.
Widely used in Southeast Asian cooking, lemongrass adds brightness and aroma without heaviness, making dishes smell fresh and appetising.
How to prepare lemongrass for stir fry?
Lemongrass is a tall tropical grass with long green leaves and a pale white to light green bulb at the base. It has a fresh citrusy aroma with mild lemon notes and a clean, refreshing fragrance. The flavour is lightly sweet and herbal, coming from natural oils known as citral.
Widely used in Southeast Asian cooking, lemongrass adds brightness and aroma without heaviness, making dishes smell fresh and appetising.
Ingredients for Stir Fried Pork With Lemongrass
- Pork Butt (sliced)
- Light Soy Sauce (marinade)
- Sesame Oil
- Sugar
- Ground White Pepper
- Salt
- Lemongrass (chopped)
- Garlic (chopped)
- Shallot (chopped)
- Dried Shrimps
- Curry Powder (Meat)
- Bird’s Eye Chillies
- Curry Leaves
- Light Soy Sauce (Seasoning)
- Sugar
- Water
Overview On How to Make Stir Fried Pork With Lemongrass
Part 1: Prepare Ingredients
- Sliced pork thinly.
- Add light soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, ground white pepper, salt and marinade 2 hours.
- Prepare spices by chopping finely lemongrass, garlic and shallots. Dice some bird eye’s chillies and rinse dried shrimp.
Part 2: Stir Fried Pork With Lemongrass
- Heat enough oil in wok and fry dried shrimp till aromatic and bubbling.
- Add in the chopped spices, diced bird eye’s chillies, curry powder and curry leaves. Saute till fragrant.
- Then add in the marinated pork and stir fry till the pork is well coated with the mixed spices.
- Lastly add seasonings and water. Using high heat, give a quick stir fry till sauce dries up. Serve hot.
How to Serve Stir Fried Pork With Lemongrass
Serve this fragrant pork stir fry with freshly steamed jasmine rice. It also pairs well with a light cucumber pickle or tomato salad for freshness. Leftovers can be used as a filling for rice bowls, lettuce wraps or banh mi-style sandwiches with pickled carrots and cucumbers.
Important Tips When Cooking stir Fried Pork With Lemongrass
- Choose the right pork cut. – Best choice is pork shoulder (pork butt) as they are flavourful and tender.
- Slice the pork against the grain, about 2-3 mm thick.
- Lemongrass need to be prepared properly. – Use the white, tender bottom part only of lemongrass. Peel off the dry outer layers. Be sure to slice very thinly and then minced finely. Thick lemongrass will results in tough woody bites.
- The sliced pork need to be marinated (max 2 hours) for juiciness. – However do not over-marinate or the pork can turn mushy.
- Use high heat and hot wok to stir fry the sliced pork.
- Do not overcook the meat. Pork cooks fast so give a quick stir fry using high heat. Overcooked pork with turn dry and chewy.
Stir Fried Pork With Lemongrass 香茅炒肉片
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Ingredients
Ingredients: (Main)
- 300 gram pork butt, sliced
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
Ingredients: (Spices)
- 2 stalks lemongrass, chopped
- 2-5 bird's eyes chillies, diced
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
- 2 shallots, chopped (2 Tbsp)
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped (1 Tbsp)
- 10 grams dried shrimps, (1 Tbsp)
- 10 grams meat curry powder, (1 Tbsp)
Seasonings:
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- ½ tsp sugar
- ¼ cup water
Have ready the ingredients to cook the dish.
Cut the cleaned pork butt into thin slices and transfer into a large bowl.
Add light soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, ground white pepper and salt. Mix everything until well combined. Leave to marinade for 2 hours.
Have ready all the spice ingredients needed.
Chop finely the lemongrass. Peel and chopped shallots and garlic. Dice bird's eye chillies.
Transfer all the chopped spices into a bowl.
Soak, clean and drain dried shrimps. Set aside and we are ready to cook the dish.
Heat up some oil in a wok. Add in drained dried shrimps and fry till aromatic and bubbling.
Then add in all the chopped ingredients, curry leaves and curry powder. Saute until fragrant.
Next, add in the marinated pork. Continue to stir fry till fragrant and the pork are well coated with the spices and chopped ingredients.
Lastly add in the seasonings and some water. Using high heat, give a quick stir fry till sauce dries up. Dish up the pork to serve.
Serve hot with steamed rice and Enjoy!
Instructions
Prepare the Pork:
Prepare the Spices:
Cooking Stir Fried Pork With Lemongrass:
Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Notes
- Choose the right pork cut. – Best choice is pork shoulder (pork butt) as they are flavourful and tender.
- Slice the pork against the grain, about 2-3 mm thick.
- Lemongrass need to be prepared properly. – Use the white, tender bottom part only of lemongrass. Peel off the dry outer layers. Be sure to slice very thinly and then minced finely. Thick lemongrass will results in tough woody bites.
- The sliced pork need to be marinated (max 2 hours) for juiciness. – However do not over-marinate or the pork can turn mushy.
- Use high heat and hot wok to stir fry the sliced pork.
- Do not overcook the meat. Pork cooks fast so give a quick stir fry using high heat. Overcooked pork with turn dry and chewy.
