Pork, Mango and Peppers Stir-Fry

What is a person supposed to do when they have dietary issues around Diabetes, or even Celiac disease?

There are no hard and fast answers, (like people would have you believe,) but I can tell you one thing – you can still eat foods that make you excited to come to the dinner table. I am not qualified to tell you what to eat in order to make your health better, but given the set of criteria that is established to manage a disease like Diabetes, (or Celiac,) I can work within those guidelines to create mouth-watering food for you – that you would actually like to eat.

I present to you a dish that is near and dear to my heart. It is no secret that I love Asian inspired food – if you have been following this blog for a while, you probably know that I could eat my weight in rice, and still come back for more. Of course, I can’t do that anymore, but I can still have a portion that is suitable for my management. (1 cup for me at dinner.)

I have never been a fan of overly sweet sauces in so-called “Chinese” food, but I married a woman who likes her Chinese food the American way. In this case the sweetness of the mango and peppers compliment the caramelization of the pork – marry into symphony of yin/yang – sweet and sour, if you will. It’s the best of both worlds – I get my savory part, and she gets her sweet. I guess that is why we are so great together.

Pork, Mango and Peppers Stir Fry

Servings: 4

Nutrition Facts: Serving size: 1/4 of a recipe
Calories 305, Total Carbohydrates 26g, Fiber 5g, Sugar 12.5g, Protein 19.5g

Ingredients:

3 pork chops, bone in

Marinade:

3 tablespoons Ponzu sauce (or regular soy sauce will do)
3 tablespoons Shao Xing (or brandy)
3 tablespoons orange juice

Stir-Fry:

3 tablespoons peanut or grapeseed oil, divided
1 onion, peeled, sliced thinly
1 carrot, peeled, sliced paper thin
2 ribs celery, sliced paper thin
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated ginger *
1 green pepper, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, (or sliced)
1 yellow pepper, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, (or sliced)
1 mango, peeled, cubed
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Garnish:

2 limes, halved
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
Sprigs of coriander (cilantro)

Method:

Remove bone from pork chops; reserve for making rice. Cut pork into 1/2 inch cubes.
Combine cubed pork with Ponzu sauce, Shao Xing, and orange juice; allow to marinate for 15-20 minutes.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok over medium-high heat until you can see the oil shimmering. (Careful that it is not smoking – your heat is too high then!) drain the pork; reserve the marinade.
Stir fry the pork in small batches – quickly, allowing the pork to brown on all sides. Don’t be afraid to let it cook – unless you enjoy pasty white pork. The idea is to get a good color on the meat to build some flavor into the dish by caramelized the marinade.
Remove the pork onto a serving dish so it can rest; continue stir frying the rest of the pork until it is all done. Wipe the wok clean.
Add remaining oil; heat until shimmering. Stir-fry onion until soft and just starting to brown. Add carrots and celery, stir-fry until just getting soft. Add garlic and ginger; cook for 1 minute.
Add peppers, mango, and reserved pork and stir-fry until the peppers begin to soften.
Mix reserved marinade with cornstarch until soft and silky. Add to the wok and move the mixture around quickly so the sauce coats everything. It will take a minute for the cornstarch to thicken up, so make sure you are stirring it into the mixture, or you will end up with a lumpy, clumpy sauce.
Serve over jasmine rice garnished with chopped green onions, coriander, and a half lime.

*Hint: Keep ginger in freezer and use micro plane to grate. You don’t even need to peel it!

Your Turn

What is your favorite stir-fry dish? Let me know in the comments!

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Tagged as: carrots, Fry, garlic, ginger, Mango, onions, orange, Peppers, pork, saute, Stir, stir-fry