These Pork and Ginger Carrot Bowls are easy to make and easy to eat! The ginger and carrot are great flavor companions, and with one pound each of ground pork and carrots, it’s a healthy one-pan meal!
One for the Meal Preppers
A while ago, we were asked to make more recipes that were meal-prep friendly. Reflecting on it recently, it seems like a good meal prep candidate has a few traits: it’s healthy, holds up well even days later (no wilted greens or flavors that are only good fresh), it’s easy to pack in a resealable container, and it’s tasty enough to fuel you for whatever you have to do after lunchtime.
Those are my informal criteria, and I think these Pork and Ginger Carrot Bowls pass with flying colors! The carrot grating is a tiny bit annoying, but if you have a food processor with a grater attachment, it’s particularly easy to make.
Inspired by My Mom’s Carrot Ginger Pork Buns!
I got inspired to make this dish out of a craving for one of my mom’s old recipes from our days in Beijing, Carrot Ginger Pork Buns.
This recipe dates back to the 1-year anniversary of The Woks of Life! Every time I visited the family in Beijing on spring breaks or summer breaks in college, I requested these Carrot Ginger Pork Buns. To date, they’re one of the best baozi fillings we’ve ever had, though these rice bowls are easier to whip up on a whim.
A big bowl of healthy comfort
I love a dish that you can eat with a big spoon. There’s something so comforting about being able to tuck in with no fuss. This is one of those dishes, thanks to the grated carrots.
Sarah kept trying to convince me to julienne the carrots, but I hate julienning carrots. Grating the carrots also makes this a great recipe for little kids and babies starting out on solids. Maybe I’m regressing or I secretly have the palate of a small child…but let’s just return to the spoon principle, and focus on that!
If you’re looking for more kid- and baby-friendly recipes, check out Sarah’s guide to Chinese Food for Babies and Toddlers!
Recipe INstructions
Grate the carrots using the largest size holes on a box grater (or use the grating attachment of a food processor), and prepare the scallions, ginger, and garlic.
Heat a large skillet until a drop of water beads on the surface of the pan. Add the oil and the ground pork. Break it up, and let it cook and crisp up until it’s golden brown around the edges.
Add the white parts of the scallions, ginger, and garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Add the Shaoxing wine to deglaze the pan, and season the pork with light soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, and salt. Stir to combine.
Add the carrots and cook until they’re just starting to wilt. They should be tender but still slightly crunchy. Add the green parts of the scallions and season with additional salt to taste if needed.
Serve with your steamed rice of choice (our quinoa rice goes great with this!).
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Recipe
Pork and Ginger Carrot Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 pound carrots (about 4 large carrots)
- 2 scallions (chopped with the white and green parts separated)
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 large garlic clove (chopped)
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1-2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Grate the carrots using the largest size holes on a box grater (or use the grating attachment of a food processor), and prepare the scallions, ginger, and garlic.
- Heat a large skillet until a drop of water beads on the surface of the pan. Add the oil and the ground pork. Break it up, and let it cook and crisp up until it’s golden brown around the edges.
- Add the white parts of the scallions, ginger, and garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Add the Shaoxing wine to deglaze the pan, and season the pork with light soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Add the carrots and cook until they’re just starting to wilt. They should be tender but still slightly crunchy. Add the green parts of the scallions and season with additional salt to taste if needed. Enjoy over steamed rice!
