pork stir fry with green onion

It usually takes a while for me to get around to trying new recipes after I bookmark them, but not this one. I love stir fries even though I don’t make them at home that often; I don’t have a wok (yet), and I always psych myself out. After reading and getting obsessed with the Pork Stir Fry with Green Onion post on Simply Recipes, I made a special trip to the grocery store just to pick up scallions, and resigned myself to cleaning the stove warned Jay that he would have to clean the stove. (Bwahaha.)

Which, by the way, did you know how awesome stir-fried scallions were? Because I totally regret picking those pieces of cooked scallion out of fried rice when I was a kid.

After making this at least 3x in the weeks since finding this recipe (and I held out on you until now, what a loser!), I’ve just mentally added scallions to my list of staple veggies that I pick up each week at the store. They’ve found their way into other things, but mostly, I’m still obsessed with this stir fry.

Even though I got scallions, I didn’t read the recipe and pick up pork loin, so I used the pork tenderloin I had on hand and it was delicious. I didn’t even wait for it to completely thaw before I sliced it, and it made it much easier to slice.

It kind of looks like tuna to me in those pictures, right? Too weird.

Oh, and once I finished the quick marinade for the pork, I realized that my pork tenderloin was somewhat larger than a pound and I wanted more sauce, so I doubled the soy sauce, sugar and corn starch in Elise’s recipe and it was perfect. It’s optional, but I used and loved the sesame oil at the end.

Urgh, now I want to make it again. Jay’s going to kill me.

pork stir fry with green onion
adapted from Simply Recipes

As mentioned, I had a pretty large pork tenderloin, so I adjusted the recipe a bit. I am sure Simply Recipes’ version works just as well and probably better.

1-1.5 pound pork tenderloin
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons corn starch
4 tbsp. peanut or canola oil
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
8-12 scallions/green onions, sliced diagonally into 1″-2″ pieces, green and white parts included
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil (optional, and yummy)

As mentioned, I used a partially frozen pork tenderloin the first time I made this stir fry; I’ve since used a completely defrosted (wow, I typed “unfrozen” first, just FYI) tenderloin and it was much easier to slice this the first time. If your tenderloin is fresh, just park it in the freezer for a half hour or so, until it firms up a bit. Anyway, I sliced the tenderloin lengthwise into three looong pieces, then sliced those long strips into 1/4″ thick pieces. They’ll be about 1.5″ long by 1/4″ thick, in case you’re going for precision. (You don’t need to obsess, as long as the pork is relatively the same size and thickness.)

Combine the soy sauce, sugar, and corn starch into a gallon-sized storage bag, seal, and squish it around to combine. Add the pork to the bag with the marinade, re-seal and toss to coat completely. Set aside for at least 10 minutes. In case you were worried about cooking frozen pork, it’ll also completely defrost in this time.

Heat the peanut oil in a wok or large sauté pan (I used this 12″ guy) on high heat (don’t be shy). When the oil is hot (shimmering but not smoking) add the garlic slices and stir-fry until they begin to turn brown at the edges, about 30 seconds. Add the pork strips and stir-fry until the pork changes color, about 90 seconds, stirring constantly.

Add the scallions and continue to stir-fry for another minute, or until the scallions wilt. Turn off the heat and stir in the sesame oil, if using.