Sliced Pork Stir Fry (Bento)

If you have some thinly sliced pork lying around, then you need to make this super quick and easy sliced pork stir fry recipe. It makes for the perfect bento lunch or as a quick protein for dinner.

When I’m in need of a simple recipe where I don’t need to run out to get specific ingredients for, I turn to this easy sliced pork stir fry! There’s always some sort of sliced pork in my freezer, and the glaze is made with kitchen staples, so I can literally whip this up in minutes.

 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The pork stir fry itself is only four ingredients. Four! You can choose what you want as your sides if you’re packing it for lunch like I am and those can be beyond simple as well. Some rice, a boiled egg, and a green veggie and you’re set.
• It only takes a couple of minutes to make. The pork is thin, so it cooks through in a blink of an eye. You can make this faster than it takes your rice cooker to make rice!
• While it may be a simple recipe, it’s flavorful. Don’t let the short ingredient list fool you!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• sliced pork — I’m using very thinly sliced pork shoulder that I got from the Korean grocery store. You can also use shabu shabu meat as well. As long as there’s fat on it and it’s thinly sliced. You may recognize this cut from my spicy pork stir fry (Jeyuk Bokkeum) recipe!
• soy sauce — I prefer light or low sodium soy sauce.
• sesame oil — I am using pure sesame oil but you can also use toasted sesame oil for a more toasty flavor.
• brown sugar — the brown sugar adds sweetness and gives the pork some caramelization. I prefer the caramel notes from brown sugar than white sugar. This is my GO-TO brown sugar and I highly recommend it. However, you will more than likely be able to find it for cheaper at a local Korean grocery store.

How to Make This Simple Pork Stir Fry

• To a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, add the sliced pork. Saute it until it is half browned.
• Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, and brown sugar to the pork. Continue to cook until the pork is coated with the sauce and is cooked through. Serve immediately with your sides of choice.

Recipe Tips and Notes

• You can add oil to the pan first if you prefer. Since I’m using a non-stick pan in this recipe and the pork has fat that renders off to cook the pork in, I don’t technically need the extra oil at the beginning. However, if you need some extra oil, that’s totally fine! Sometimes I make this after I stir-fry some spinach or greens so there’s leftover oil in the pan and that’s more than enough.
• A large skillet is a must. You do not want the pork to overlap too much as it’ll cause the pork to steam and the texture won’t be as great.
• Got some extra time? You can stir fry this alongside some veggies such as starting with some oil and sliced onions then adding the pork with some garlic, snow peas, and bell peppers. It’s a very versatile recipe that you can use as a base and throw in what you have in your fridge.
• For my pork bento box, I pair this stir fried sliced pork with jasmine rice, slightly jammy egg, and my seasoned spinach.

Make Ahead Tips

• Meal prep: once cooled, store the cooked pork in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
• Reheat: you can reheat the pork on the stovetop on a skillet, in the air fryer, or in the microwave. I find the air fryer will crisp the pork up and make leftovers even tastier!

More Recipes To Try

• Japanese Egg Sandwich
• Soy Sauce Eggs
• Japanese Fried Rice
• Japanese Corn Rice
• Hibachi Chicken
• Hibachi Shrimp
• Kitsune Udon

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