Ground pork is an underrated stir-fry protein — it browns quickly in a hot wok, rendering just enough fat to become the cooking medium for everything that follows. Here, it shares the pan with crisp-tender snow peas and meaty shiitake caps, a combination that hits every textural note: silky, snappy, and substantial all at once.
A streamlined mixture of oyster sauce and soy sauce delivers deep, salty-sweet umami without any heavy lifting, and a cornstarch slurry pulls it all into a glossy, cling-to-the-pork coating that carries the flavors through every bite.
Scallions whites wilt slightly and add a mild, grassy note. The finish is a splash of rice vinegar — just enough brightness to cut through the richness and make the whole dish feel alive. Spoon it over jasmine rice and set out the chili-garlic sauce or sriracha for anyone who wants heat.
A few things we did differently was use our well-seasoned wok instead of a skillet. The amount of snow peas came in a 6-ounce packet so we included all of them; plus we doubled the garlic. The black pepper was switched out for white pepper which has a different flavor profile, more of a bite if you will.
And as far as the scallions, we stir-fried the white pieces along with the snow peas and mushrooms thinking they would have been too raw if added at the very end; then garnished the finished dish with thinly-sliced scallion greens.
TIP: Don’t brown the pork over high heat. Cook it more gently over medium, breaking the meat into fine bits with a wooden spoon, until some of the pieces are crisped and caramelized, which adds texture and flavor to the stir-fry.
Stir-Fried Pork with Snow Peas and Shiitake Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. oyster sauce
- 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp. neutral oil
- 1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb. ground pork
- 4 oz. snow peas, trimmed, cut into thirds (smaller ones halved) on the diagonal
- 8 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps sliced ¼ inch thick
- 1 bunch scallions, whites cut into 1-inch pieces; greens thinly sliced on a diagonal for garnish
- 2 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
Directions
- In a small bowl, whisk the oyster sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch, ½ teaspoon pepper and ½ cup water. In a 12-inch skillet (or wok) over medium, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the ginger and garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the pork and cook, breaking the meat into small bits, until crisped, about 10 minutes. Spoon off and discard all but 1 to 2 tablespoons of the fat.
- Add the snow peas, mushrooms and scallion whites. Cook over medium, stirring, just until the vegetables are heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk the sauce mixture to recombine, then stir it into the pork-vegetable mixture. Cook, stirring, until the sauce simmers and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Off heat, stir in the vinegar. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Plate over steamed rice and garnish with scallion greens.
Recipe from Rose Hattabaugh for Milk Street
