005 / 75 · Before the Shift

Pork, Green Bean and Basil Stir-Fry

2 stir-fry plates · Active 25 min · Total 55 min

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Ground pork is useful when there is no time to slice meat into neat strips. Here it browns in small craggy pieces, then picks up garlic, green beans and a quick savory sauce. Basil goes in off the heat so its leaves keep their fragrance. Short lengths of green bean are easier to stir and easier to eat during a brief meal than long whole beans. Serve the pan over warm rice so the sauce has somewhere to settle.

Jump to ingredients

Basil pork and green bean stir-fry served with white rice.

Brown the pork instead of immediately stirring it

Press the pork across the base of a hot skillet and leave it for about two minutes. That contact creates browned surfaces; stirring from the moment it enters the pan mostly makes pale crumbs. Turn sections, then break them into smaller pieces. Ground pork needs to reach 160°F/71°C. Check several of the larger pieces or the cooked mixture with an appropriate probe.

Give fresh beans their full cooking stage

Fresh green beans need a proper boiling stage before the quick skillet finish. This recipe follows the BfR precaution of at least 30 minutes in boiling water; a short covered steam or a few extra minutes in the wok is not the same process. Keep the beans submerged and maintain the boil, then drain well so they do not water down the sauce. They will be tender rather than crisp. Start the pork near the end of that stage and fold in the beans gently. Basil goes in only after the burner is off.

Ingredients

  • 8 oz lean ground pork (225 g)
  • 2 teaspoons neutral oil (10 ml)
  • 8 oz fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (225 g)
  • About 8 cups water (2 liters), or enough to boil the beans freely; drained
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce (15 ml)
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce (5 ml)
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar (4 g)
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice (10 ml)
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves (10 g)
  • 2 cups cooked rice, freshly prepared or safely refrigerated (about 320 g)

Set out

3-quart saucepan, Colander, 12-inch skillet, Spatula, Small bowl, Instant-read thermometer

Allergens

Soy, Wheat, Fish. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Bring the saucepan of water to a full boil. Add the beans and boil for at least 30 minutes, maintaining the boil and adding hot water if needed. Drain well. The beans should be fully soft, not merely warmed or crisp.
  2. Meanwhile, mix soy sauce, fish sauce and brown sugar. Have freshly cooked rice ready, or use rice cooled promptly, kept at 40°F/4°C or below and within 24 hours of its original cooking. Reheat chilled rice only once to 165°F/74°C; keep it hot for immediate serving.
  3. Near the end of the bean cooking, heat oil in the skillet over medium-high. Press in the pork for 2 minutes, then turn, break into small pieces and cook for about 3 more minutes. Add garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds.
  4. Add the drained, fully cooked beans and sauce. Stir-fry gently for about 2 minutes, until the pork reaches 160°F/71°C and the mixture is hot throughout. If the pork needs longer, continue cooking and check several places.
  5. Turn off the heat. Fold in lime juice and torn basil. Divide the hot rice between plates and spoon over the pork and beans. Eat rice that has already been reheated immediately; discard any uneaten reheated rice.

Plan for the bean cooking

The total allows about 55 minutes, including the full bean boil. Trim beans and mix the sauce before starting, keeping them away from raw pork. Cooking in parallel shortens the final wait but does not shorten the bean boiling time.

A useful detail

The fish sauce is a small seasoning, not a dominant sauce. Measure it into the bowl rather than pouring from the bottle over the skillet.

Another way

  • Use ground turkey instead of pork and cook it to 165°F/74°C.
  • Use tamari labeled gluten-free instead of soy sauce if avoiding wheat; check the fish sauce label as well.

Keep it well

Keep pork and beans separate from rice. Refrigerate the pork-bean mixture in shallow containers within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C; keep at 40°F/4°C or below for up to 3 days and reheat to 165°F/74°C. Cool any unused freshly cooked rice quickly, ideally within 1 hour, refrigerate at 40°F/4°C or below and eat within 24 hours of its original cooking. Reheat rice only once to 165°F/74°C and eat immediately. Discard uneaten rice that was already reheated; do not chill it for another meal.