I love making stir fry because it's generally a healthy, fun, and colorful way to get a great meal quick, with relatively little mess. Generally all you need is a knife, cutting board, and a wok or stir fry pan and away you go!
While I LOVE spicy foods, Heather has been on me to switch things up and try something other than HOT. As part of that exploration, I've started playing with teriyaki flavors since aside from spicy foods, I also love sweet foods. A few months ago, you might remember that I made a Hawaiian burger with my own home-made teriyaki sauce. It was delicious but too much work for a quick family meal. This time, I wanted to see what would happen if we made everything together in one big pan. The results were surprisingly good and ultimately this is a great example of American cuisine since it draws from other cultures and then makes it something else.
Teriyaki sauce historically is a Japanese culinary tradition of grilling meats and fish with a light glaze of soy sauce, rice wine, and sugar. However, as those flavors have bounced around American kitchens, we've kicked things up a notch and turned that simple and elagent sauce into something bigger, bolder and overall more "American". For instance, in my teriyaki sauces I like to add garlic, ginger, and use brown sugar as well as honey instead of cane sugar. Depending on the dish, I also like to sneak in some red pepper if it makes sense.
Teriyaki Pork Stir Fry Ingredients:
- 16 oz Pork Stir Fry Meat
- 1 Large Yellow Onion (chopped)
- 1.5 cups Snow Peas
- 1.5 cups Baby Carrots
- 1.5 cups Broccoli
- 3 tbs Chosen Foods Avocado Oil
- 1/4 cup Soy Sauce (you can make this recipe gluten free by using Tamari instead!)
- 1/8 cup Brown Sugar packed
- 3 Tbsp Honey
- 2 Tbsp Season Salt
- 3 Tbsp Red Chili Pepper Oil with Flakes
- 2 Tbsp Crushed Garlic
- 1 Tsp Shredded Ginger
- Shredded coconut for garnish
Teriyaki Pork Stir Fry Recipe Preparation:
Preheat your wok or stir fry pan and then add avocado oil. I prefer Chosen Foods Avocado Oil because it has a much higher smoke point compared to olive oil and it tastes great. This means that with the high temperature of the stir fry pan it won't burn and that's always a good thing!
Add the pork stew meat and cook till completely browned and then add season salt, garlic, and onion. Continue cooking till onion is slightly carmelized.
Add remaining ingredients (except coconut) and continue cooking. While I generally prefer soy sauce, you can easily make this a gluten free meal by swapping soy sauce for tamari sauce instead.
Continue cooking by stiring and flipping (if you are coordinated!) then place a lid on the pan and simmer for a few minutes until the vegetables are at your prefered level of firmness.
Serve the stir fry and top with some shredded coconut to add an extra level of island flavor!
With the level of sugar and salt in this recipe, it is not "Health Food" but it's a low fat way to get great protein and veggies that everyone will love.
