Vietnamese-Style Caramelized Ground Pork Bowls are fresh and packed with good-for-you ingredients. Get the restaurant experience at home!
“I followed this recipe exactly. Wow! We loved every bite. I am pinning it to my “company’s coming” board.” – reader, Toni
When you just can’t do another night of spaghetti, tacos, or sloppy joe’s – try Vietnamese-Style Caramelized Ground Pork Bowls!
These veggie and flavor-packed bowls are just the thing to get you out of a dinner rut. It’s a meal you’ll be shocked came out of your kitchen, vs a restaurant’s.
Best of all, nearly every component can be made using just 1 skillet!
Restaurant-Inspired Bowl Meal
This gorgeous recipe was inspired by a local southeast Asian + California fusion restaurant that serves Chipotle-style, build-your-own-bowls filled with tongue-tingling components. Here’s what’s inside my (our) bowl!
- Caramelized ground pork
- Cilantro-lime cauliflower rice
- Steamed broccoli
- Green curry coconut sauce
- Quick-pickled carrots, sliced jalapenos, chopped green onions
What is Caramelized Pork?
Caramelized Pork is pork that’s been caramelized in a mixture of brown sugar and fish sauce in a wok over high heat. It might sound crazy – but it’s actually just crazy delicious.
Fish sauce-caramel leaves the pork lacquered, sizzling, and equal parts subtly sweet and packed with umami flavor.
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Pin ItMain Ingredients Needed
Although you might go a little cross eyed looking at the ingredient list for this recipe, nearly all are fridge and pantry staples, plus several ingredients are used in several elements of the bowls. Here’s some of the main ingredients you’ll need:
- Ground pork: regular ol’ plain ground pork – not sausage or breakfast sausage.
- Brown sugar: melts in the hot pan to caramelize the pork.
- Fish sauce: combines with the brown sugar to create a savory-sweet-umami lacquer on the pork. I like Thai Flavors brand, which is gluten free.
- Green curry paste: forms the base of the coconut green curry sauce that’s drizzled over the top. Again, I recommend Thai Flavors brand.
- Coconut milk: I prefer full-fat for the best flavor.
- Cauliflower rice: is quickly stir-fried with lime and cilantro as the base of the healthy bowls.
- Toppings: steamed broccoli florets, quick-pickled carrots, sliced fresh jalapeños, chopped fresh cilantro and green onion, plus kimchi if you have it on hand!
How to Make this Recipe
Step 1: Make the Quick-Pickled Carrots.
This tangy, crunchy bowl topper is super simple and a must for balancing the decadent caramelized pork.
Simply microwave distilled vinegar, water, sugar, and salt for one minute then stir to dissolve the sugar. Pour over grated carrots (I use store-bought) then refrigerate. That’s it! You can do this up to a week ahead of time.
Step 2: Caramelize the ground pork.
To a large wok or skillet over high heat, saute ground pork with chopped shallots, garlic, dried ginger, salt, and pepper until the ground pork is barely cooked through. Next add brown sugar and fish sauce then stir to combine.
Spread the ground pork into an even layer in the bottom of the wok or skillet then let it sizzle for 2 minutes undisturbed. Stir then spread the pork back out and sizzle for another 2 minutes – again, undisturbed! If you move the pork around too much it won’t have a chance to caramelize.
Continue to sizzle then stir the pork in 2 minute increments – 1 minute increments near the end so the sugar doesn’t burn – until the pork is golden brown and caramelized, 5-6 minutes. Scoop the pork onto a paper towel lined plate to drain then set aside.
Step 3: Make the Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice
Heat a little vegetable oil in the wok over high heat then add fresh or frozen cauliflower rice, season with salt and pepper, then stir fry until crisp tender, 3-4 minutes. I use a bag of frozen cauliflower rice for convenience.
Stir in a squeeze of fresh lime juice plus chopped fresh cilantro then scoop the rice into a serving dish or bowls and set aside.
Step 4: Make the Green Curry Drizzle.
Place the wok back over medium high heat then add green curry paste. Use a spatula to mash and smash it and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
Add coconut milk, a splash of chicken broth, and a pinch of sugar then simmer the sauce until it’s slightly thickened and reduced, 3-4 minutes. Squeeze in a touch of lime juice then stir to combine.
Step 5: Assemble.
Scoop the Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice into bowls then top with the Caramelized Ground Pork, Quick Pickled Carrots, and even more toppings including sliced jalapenos, chopped green onions, steamed broccoli, and kimchi, if you’ve got it. Drizzle with the Green Curry Sauce, then devour!
SO GOOD!! I hope you love this fun and phenomenally-tasty take on Vietnamese Caramelized Pork – enjoy!
More Take-Out Inspired Recipes
- Chicken Shawarma Bowls
- Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
- Beef and Broccoli
- Potsticker Noodle Bowls
- Sesame Peanut Sauce Noodles
- Chicken Pad Thai
- Thai Sweet Potato Curry
- Spicy Shrimp Soup
- Easy Chicken Fried Rice
Ingredients
For the Quick-Pickled Carrots:
- 4 oz grated carrots
- 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Caramelized Ground Pork:
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons fish sauce, Thai Kitchen brand recommended
For the Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice:
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 12 oz cauliflower rice, fresh or frozen
- salt and pepper
- squeeze fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
For the Green Curry Drizzle:
- 2 Tablespoons green curry paste, Thai Kitchen brand recommended
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 cup coconut milk, full fat recommended
- 2 Tablespoons chicken broth
- squeeze fresh lime juice
For the toppings:
- 8 oz broccoli florets, steamed
- sliced fresh jalapeños
- chopped cilantro
- chopped green onion
- kimchi
Directions
For the Quick-Pickled Carrots:
- Add vinegar, water, sugar, and salt into a microwave safe dish then microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved then pour over carrots, stir to combine, and refrigerate. Can be made a week ahead of time.
For the Caramelized Ground Pork:
- Place 2 layers of paper towel on a large plate then set aside. Heat oil in a large wok or skillet over high heat. Add ground pork, shallot, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper to taste then saute until pork is just barely cooked through, breaking it up as it cooks. Add brown sugar and fish sauce to the skillet then stir to combine. Spread the pork into an even layer in the bottom of the wok or skillet then saute for 2 minutes – DO NOT DISTURB OR STIR THE PORK as it caramelizes. Stir then spread the pork into an even layer again and cook for 2 more minutes, undisturbed. Continue cooking then stirring in two minute increments – leaving the pork alone as it cooks and caramelizes – until the pork is brown and caramelized. You may need to cook in 1 minute increments near the end to prevent the sugar from burning. Scrape the caramelized pork onto prepared paper towel lined plate to drain then set aside.
For the Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice:
- Get out a large serving bowl then set aside. Place wok or skillet back over high heat then add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the cauliflower rice, season with salt and pepper, then stir fry until the cauliflower is crisp tender, 3-4 minutes. Add the lime juice and chopped cilantro then stir to combine. Scrape the cauliflower rice into the serving bowl then set aside.
For the Green Curry Drizzle:
- Place the wok or skillet back over medium-high heat. Add the curry paste then saute for 30 seconds, scraping/flattening/stirring it with a spatula. Add the coconut milk, chicken broth, and sugar then stir until smooth and bring then sauce to a simmer. Turn the heat down to medium then simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened and reduced, 3-4 minutes. Squeeze in a little lime juice to taste.
To assemble:
- Scoop the Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice into bowls then top with the Caramelized Ground Pork, Quick Pickled Carrots, toppings, and Green Curry Drizzling Sauce.
Notes
- Adapted from RecipeTinEats
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Wow! So good. The flavors were incredible. Thanks for the amazing recipe! Will absolutely be making again. I ended up using turkey and it was still delicious.
Thanks for letting us know about the turkey swap – I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Mandie!
Loved this!! I already had red curry paste opened so I used that instead. Will definitely e making this again.
Perfect! I’m so glad you were able to make it work with what you had on hand, Sarah!
Sooo good! Your step by step instructions made it easy!
I subbed low sodium soy sauce for the fish sauce and while I don’t know any different, I thought it was perfect!
Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe! Now I need to try the restaurant as it’s been on our list to try since they opened!
My family loved this! I will add it to our rotation list. Should I have drained the fat from the pork before adding the sugar and fish sauce? I didn’t because I thought it might help with the carmelization.
Our family loves these types of bowls because they’re so easy to customize to everyone’s tastes. This one is a great one to add to our meal plan. I especially loved the addition of the pickled carrots — why have I never made them before?!
They’re so good in here – a little bit of tang and sweetness, and tons of crunch. I hope you love these!!
Is there a substitute for fish sauce that you’d recommend? I know it’s in lots of things but I just can’t handle the smell so have a hard time cooking with it.
Hi Megan! I totally get it – it is very pungent! You might try low-sodium gluten free tamari (or soy sauce if you don’t need to eat GF) with a few drops of lime juice. I can’t say how close it will taste to the version with the fish sauce, but it might be close!
This is fabulous. Served with leftover fried rice. I added some radishes to the pickling mixture. So quick and inexpensive. And so flavorful!
Love it, Lorene! And love the radish addition too – very Banh Mi-esque! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Made it! Loooooved it!!
SO thrilled to hear that, Heather!! Thank so much for your star rating, too!
how long can the leftover curry sauce be kept?
It should last a couple days!
Great recipe! I love that I can easily adapt it for my vegetarian daughter (tofu prepared the way the pork is prepared and no fish sauce) and keto for me ( omit brown sugar). Not often I’m not making two completely separate meals! Also, I know a bottle of fishsauce lasts forever, but next time you need some, I highly recommend Red Boat. I know Whole Foods carries it, and I think I saw it at Trader Joe’s. Still has that icky smell but the taste is wonderful!
So glad this recipe will work for your family! I am on the hunt for Red Boat – I believe my Whole Foods carries it but I just never make it over there!!
I’ll second Red Boat though I stumbled onto Iwashi whisky barrel aged fish sauce on Amazon. Much less salty and more complex taste. Also highly recommend for vegan/vegetarians to make your own vegan fish sauce. See thevegankorean.com Instead of using tofu, can use Impossible Meat.
Whoohoo! So excited to learn about this new place here in the DSM metro. Love your blog, and looking forward to trying both this recipe and this new restaurant!
It is SO good – there’s nothing else like it around here, I don’t think! Hope you get a chance to try it! :D
This sounds incredible!! Thank you!
Do you have a wok recommendation you like? We are shopping around and don’t need anything fancy, but want to get something that’ll last.
My very favorite wok of all time is no longer sold! ? I’ve cooked with Calphalon pans for years and years though, and their wok looks really similar to mine: https://amzn.to/3l7YgEb
This sounds delicious! I am not a curry/coconut milk fan though…what other sauce would you recommend with this?? Thank you! I’m one of your biggest fans ?
You are too kind, Sara – I’m so glad to have you cooking and reading along! ❤️ The other savory dressing this restaurant has is Sesame Ginger – I might try a sesame ginger type salad dressing. The other ones they have are sweet – Hoisin BBQ, Sweet Chili, and Teriyaki – which I think would be too sweet with the pork. I hope that helps!!
Ooh sesame ginger sounds perfect! Thanks for the reply!
You bet, Sara!