This simple Asian meal is an easy mid-week option if you\’re not vego and can find free-range, antibiotic-free pork. The mince is tasty (read \’a little fatty\’) so it goes well with a lot of vegetables plus rice to balance it. I also love adding pickled lime for its zing. Since the pickle is a condiment (kept in the fridge after opening), it\’s easy to add to adult bowls so the kids don\’t grumble. (Though they do grumble at the mere smell of it.)
The original recipe (from my mum from her mother-in-law) is for snake beans with pork mince. I\’ve added that under the recipe below. Snake beans aren\’t readily available in most Australian supermarkets and take much longer to cook than green beans. They\’re apparently very easy to grow. If you\’ve not seen them before, they\’re quite long – like a school ruler.
Personally, I prefer bean sprouts to snake beans with the mince because of their cool crispness. You can also use regular green beans or snowpeas (top and tailed). I\’ve tried enoki mushrooms but the kids grumble at those. Fresh coriander goes really well as a garnish if you have some, especially with the lime pickle. Sometimes I serve this dish along with wombok that\’s been fried with lots of garlic and a dash of salt. A simple, quick meal with lots of veg. (The kids won\’t eat wombok … yet.)
Ingredients:
- 2 handfuls of green beans or snowpeas
- 2 handfuls of bean sprouts
- 500g pork mince (free-range)
- 4 garlic bulbs
- 2 or 3 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
- half to 1 cup of light soy sauce (tamari) – to taste
- salt – to taste
- large handful of fresh coriander leaves, to serve
- lime pickle, to serve
- rice, to serve
- optional: rice vinegar
Method:
- Fry half the garlic in a wide and semi-deep pot.
- Add the green beans or snowpeas and a little after that, add the bean sprouts. Don\’t overcook; try to retain a little crispness. Remove to bowl.
- Add the remaining garlic and more olive oil if necessary.
- Add pork mince and stir until brown. (Don\’t add the soy sauce until you\’re sure the pink has been cooked to brown in the pork mince. You don\’t want to eat under-cooked pork.)
- Add the Chinese 5 spice and light soy sauce (tamari). Stir through. You could also add a small splash of rice vinegar if you wish.
- Combine the vegetables with the pork.
- Serve with rice, fresh coriander leaves and lime pickle.
Pork mince with snake beans:
- Cut the long snake beans into 2 inch lengths.
- Fry garlic (quite a bit), then add the snake beans. These will take quite a while to soften. You\’ll need to periodically deglaze the pan with splashes of water or rice vinegar while stirring with a wooden spoon.
- At the end, dress the snake beans with a few shakes of fish sauce.
- Cook the pork mince as per the steps above, then combine it with the snake beans.
- Serve with rice, fresh coriander leaves and lime pickle.