Pork and Broccoli Stir Fry

This pork and broccoli stir fry is a savory dish with tender cooked pork, crisp broccoli florets, and primary savory and garlicky flavors. It can be a super comforting home-cooking dish finished within 10 minutes. And I would love to call it another rice killer.

Why this recipe

I have always loved broccoli, as it is delicious and healthy. My favorite way to cook it is stir-fry with minced garlic. But adding pork slices enhances the taste and makes it even more delicious.

How to use velvet pork for stir-frying

For me, the marinating process of velveting the pork is the key and foundation step for all future steps. Velveted pork slices can be super tender after being cooked due to the protection of the starch layer. Let’s learn how to velvet pork for common stir-frying recipes.

Cut the pork into pieces of similar thickness and put them on a plate. Add salt, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, and white pepper to marinate the pork for a basic savory taste.

Then, mix water and cornstarch. These two ingredients will form a protective layer that helps to prevent the pork from drying out and getting overcooked in the following stir-frying process.

Finally, add some oil and mix well. The oil layer will prevent the pork slices from sticking to each other or at the bottom of the wok.

7 tips for perfect pork and broccoli stir fry

1. First, heat the wok until smoking hot. This is a crucial step to avoid the sticky problem of pork stir-frying if you are using a classic wok.
2.  Avoid cooking cold meat. If you are using frozen meat, ensure it is entirely thawed before using it.
3. Fry in small batches. My favorite amount is no more than 200g. Using a wok to fry a large amount of pork will lower the wok’s temperature and increase the stir-frying time, making the pork tough and chewy.
4.  Stir quickly and constantly. Don’t leave the pork in the wok for too long. Stir it quickly and continuously to ensure each pork piece is cooked evenly.
5. Transfer the pork slices out at the right time. I recommend transferring the pork slices out as long as the surface becomes faded and white. For two reasons, it is 100% okay to find some faint pink color inside the slices. Firstly, the heat of the pork slices will continue cooking them (后热效应), and secondly, we will recook them with mushrooms later. It will be recooked in wok later. So do not overcook your pork slices. Transfer out as long as they turn pale.

Step by Step Instructions

Blanching the broccoli

I recommend blanching the broccoli before stir-frying it because this can make it much greener in color and crunchy in texture. Add a small pinch of salt and around one teaspoon of vegetable cooking oil. Add the broccoli and then transfer them out as long as the water starts to boil again.

Fry the pork

I have always loved to fry the protein first in the classic protein and vegetable stir fry because this helps the oil absorb the flavor. So, let’s fry the pork slices first.
First, heat the wok or pan. Add cooking oil to the wok or pan, then spread the marinated pork when the oil is warm but not hot. Stir continuously until the pork slices turn darker in color.

Transfer the pork slices out immediately. That’s our best tenderized pork slices.

Add the broccoli in

Now, let’s add the broccoli vegetable. After transferring the pork slices, leave the oil in.

Add minced garlic and fry until aromatic, then add broccoli. Add light soy sauce and oyster sauce to give it a primary savory flavor.

Adding light soy sauce will give the dish a little sauce, which you can mix with steamed rice. If you prefer a cleaner version, use only oyster sauce.

Mix it up

Now, return the pork slices. Toss to mix everything. Don’t over-stirring; otherwise, the starch layer can be destroyed. That’s a super delicious pork and broccoli stir fry with super teader pork slices and crunchy broccoli.