Pork with Green Beans is a one-pan meal with both your protein and veggie covered. It’s also a tasty stir-fry that’s pretty quick to whip up anytime, and one that the whole family (even an increasingly picky toddler) can enjoy!
Become a pro at stir-fries!
It’s crazy to think about how long we’ve been developing and posting recipes on The Woks of Life—we’re coming on 12 years.
When we first started, I really didn’t have the first clue about how to make a simple stir-fry like this. Today, I make them all the time, cooking many of the same dishes for my family that my parents prepared for me!
This pork with green beans is a great primer in the average workflow of a Chinese stir-fry:
- Velvet the meat
- Prepare a sauce mixture
- Pre-cook vegetables (a step only needed for longer-cooking veggies like green beans and broccoli, which can be blanched or wok-seared, as we do here)
- Pre-sear meat
- Bring everything together!
It may sound like a lot of steps, but they happen in minutes, and ensure that each element of the dish is cooked perfectly by the time it hits the plate.
Some recipes require a lot of testing, but after over a decade of working on The Woks of Life with the rest of the family, some recipes are slam dunks. This was one of them!
All it comes down to is practice. Make a few of our stir-fry recipes, and you’ll be a pro at it too.
What Cut of Pork is Best for Stir-frying?
Boneless pork shoulder or pork butt, both of which come from the shoulder of the pig, are best for stir-fries. They’re more marbled, juicy, and economical to boot.
Pork shoulder (also known as the “picnic shoulder,” often sold bone-in with the skin on) is from the lower part of the shoulder, while the pork butt (also known as the “Boston butt”) is the larger upper part of the shoulder.
Both are excellent choices for stir-frying. We often buy a large piece, bring it home, and cut it into smaller 8-12 ounce chunks to freeze for stir-fries like this.
Take a chunk of pork out of the freezer, and transfer it to the fridge in the morning. Later that evening, it’ll be partially thawed, and maybe still a little frosty. That’s perfect! The firm, partially thawed meat will be a snap to slice thinly and even julienned into strips, like we have in this recipe.
If you’d like a cut with less fat, you can slice up pork loin or even center cut boneless pork chops for stir-fries. That’s the beauty of the velveting process, in which the meat gets marinated with oil, cornstarch, water, and other seasonings. Even drier cuts of meat can cook up tender.
Okay, let’s get cooking!
Pork with Green Beans Recipe Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine the pork strips with the marinade ingredients (the water, cornstarch, oil, oyster sauce, and Shaoxing wine).
In a small bowl, combine the chicken stock, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and white pepper.
Place a wok over medium-high heat, and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the string beans. Sear the string beans on all sides until lightly scorched, about 5-6 minutes. Remove the beans from the wok.
Reheat your wok over high heat until it just starts to smoke. Spread the remaining tablespoon of oil around the perimeter. Spread the pork on the wok in one layer, and sear for 1 minute on each side. Add the ginger and garlic, and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
Then add the stock mixture you prepared earlier, and increase the heat to high. Add the cornstarch slurry, being sure to pour it directly into the standing liquid, and stir-fry for another 15 seconds.
Next, add the green beans. Stir-fry over high heat for another 30 seconds.
Serve!
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Recipe
Pork with Green Beans
Ingredients
For the pork & marinade:
- 12 ounces pork shoulder or pork butt (cut into thin, 2-inch/5cm strips)
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
For the rest of the dish:
- ⅓ cup chicken stock or water
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (divided)
- 1 pound string beans (trimmed and cut in half crosswise)
- 1 slice ginger
- 3 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (mixed with 1 tablespoon water)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the pork strips with the marinade ingredients (the water, cornstarch, oil, oyster sauce, and Shaoxing wine). In a small bowl, combine the chicken stock, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and white pepper.
- Place a wok over medium-high heat, and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the string beans. Sear the string beans on all sides until lightly scorched, about 5-6 minutes. Remove the beans from the wok.
- Reheat your wok over high heat until it just starts to smoke. Spread the remaining tablespoon of oil around the perimeter. Spread the pork on the wok in one layer, and sear for 1 minute on each side.
- Add the ginger and garlic, and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Then add the stock mixture you prepared earlier, and increase the heat to high. Add the cornstarch slurry, being sure to pour it directly into the standing liquid, and stir-fry for another 15 seconds. Next, add the green beans. Stir-fry over high heat for another 30 seconds. Serve!
