Spicy Pork with Asparagus
This delicious Asian-inspired Spicy Pork with Asparagus comes together in just 30 minutes. A perfect weeknight dinner that makes great leftovers!
Servings: 6
Calories: 375kcal
Equipment
- large nonstick skillet
- grater or bullet blender (for grating ginger)
Ingredients
Pork
- 1 ½ pounds ground pork
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (30 grams; I recommend lower sodium soy sauce)
- 2 tablespoons rice wine, dry sherry, or dry vermouth (30 grams)
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch (12 grams)
Asparagus and Sauce
- 3 teaspoons sesame oil (15 grams, divided)
- 1 ½ pounds asparagus (cut or broken into 1-inch pieces)
- 2 tablespoons ginger (minced or grated)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (plus more to taste)
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce (60 grams) (use lower sodium soy sauce)
- 4 tablespoons oyster sauce (80 grams)
- 2 teaspoons honey (14 grams)
- 1 tablespoon water (15 grams)
- rice to serve
Instructions
- Whisk together 2 tablespoons soy sauce, rice wine, and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Add pork and mix to combine. Set aside.
- In a large non-stick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons sesame oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add asparagus, ginger, and chili flakes. Cook for about 3 minutes, until asparagus is cooked but crisp. Transfer asparagus to a plate.
- Heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil in the skillet. Add the pork and cook on medium-high heat, breaking it up and cooking until it's browned and the pork is no longer pink.
- Meanwhile, combine 4 tablespoons soy sauce, oyster sauce, and honey in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Add asparagus to the pork. Add in the soy sauce mixture and 1 tablespoon water; stir to combine.
- Cook for another 2 minutes, adding another tablespoon of water if the pork seems dry.
- Serve pork and asparagus over rice. Leftover store well in the fridge, make a great lunch, and will stay good for a few days.
Notes
Check the sodium level on your ground pork. If it has sodium added, this dish will be rather salty, so cut back on the soy sauce.
I highly recommend using lower sodium soy sauce to make this dish regardless; it is plenty salty with it.
You can use rice wine, white wine, sherry, or vermouth. All are fine as long as they don't have sugar added. If you can't use alcohol at all, you can skip it. DO NOT use mirin or cooking wine.
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes is a very mild amount. Increase to taste. The original recipe called for 1 red jalapeno.
If you can't find oyster sauce, you can substitute hoisin sauce if you have it; it will be slightly different, but still tasty. You can also substitute 2 tablespoons soy sauce and a dash of sugar, although the flavor will be slightly different; add additional soy sauce to taste.
Use fresh ginger, not dried or powdered. Fresh ginger has a zingy flavor that dried ginger can't replace. Extra ginger can be frozen.
Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine.
Calorie count calculated in MyNetDiary, is an estimate only, and does not include rice. Actual calories will vary depending on how lean your ground pork is.
Originally published April 2, 2018. Revised and clarified July 22, 2025.
Nutrition
Calories: 375kcal
