Ground Pork Stir Fry with Collard Greens gets bright, lively flavor from a tasty miso ginger sauce. Excellent with a glass of Semillon from L’Ecole No. 41 or a Côtes Du Rhône Viogner. Disclosure: The wines suggested here as pairings were received as complimentary samples.
Pork and collard greens are certainly not strangers. But the typical combination in Southern cooking would be cooking collard greens with ham hocks, or in my case, bacon.
I don’t tend to get ground pork too often. If anything, I might get it to add along with some beef to a Bolognese sauce. But one month, I had a couple packets of ground pork from our Walden Local Meat Share, so I was read to get creative.
Earlier in the year, I had good luck putting together a miso based sauce for this Turkey Cabbage Skillet (paired with a Pouilly Fumé, wine pairing friends). So I decided to use a similar sauce for this Ground Pork Stir Fry, and cook it along with some healthy collard greens. The results were delicious!
If it’s cabbage you have on hand but you want to try a similar recipe, give our Ground Pork and Cabbage Stir-fry a try.
Jump to:
How to cook ground pork for stir fry
Here are a few tips for cooking this ground pork stir fry. Head on down to the recipe card for all the details:
- Make the sauce first and set it aside. This is the way to go with any stir fry, as things go quickly once you start cooking!
- Have veggies chopped before you start cooking. See above about things going fast!
- Get onions and peppers cooking before adding the ground pork.
- Stir fry the pork frequently for about 3 minutes, until it starts turning white on the outside.
- Add collard greens after the pork has been stir fried for 3 minutes. Then you add the sauce, and finish the dish by simmering it, covered, for 5 to 7 minutes.
Note that simmering the ground pork, covered, at the end of the cooking is not a typical stir fry method. But in this recipe, it is a good way to make sure the pork gets cooked through. It also helps all the flavors of the sauce and pork meld together nicely.
Variations
We have made this ground pork stir fry a few times since we initially published it. You can definitely mix up the vegetables based on what you have on hand!
One successful variation had us using cabbage instead of collard greens, and also added some summer squash. That was a tasty combination, and good way to use our seasonal vegetables!
In addition to using basic green cabbage as suggested above, we have also swapped Napa cabbage in for the collard greens. That worked well.
Pairing from L’Ecole No. 41
Today’s recipe and pairing is my contribution for the first Wine Pairing Weekend event of 2021, Saké & Other Pairings for Asian Foods. Thanks to Camilla for hosting!
Today’s pairing was my chance at some redemption.
The good folks at the Washington winery, L’Ecole No. 41, sent me a sample for #MerlotMe month in October. I thought, hmm, pork and Merlot tend to work, and opened their bottle to go with my first edition of this ground pork stir fry.
I liked the L’Ecole Merlot, it just wasn’t a great match for the Asian flavors of the dish – miso, soy and ginger. I realized this needed a white wine, and mused it might work with another L’Ecole wine I’ve tried, their Semillon.
A winning pairing with Semillon
As luck would have it, after #MerlotMe month, the L’Ecole team sent some additional samples. They invited a number of us to join some of their team, including winemaker Marcus Rafanelli, for a virtual tasting and chat. And one of the bottles they sent was the Semillon. A perfect chance to pair it with our ground pork stir fry!
Semillon is used in White Bordeaux blends, and is actually the third most planted white grape in France, according to Wine Folly.
Semillon is a full bodied white wine that can also be very good on its own, and I’ve always been a fan of the version from L’Ecole.
We had the 2019 Columbia Valley Semillon ($15, 13.5% ABV) from L’Ecole No. 41 to serve with the pork stir fry. With honeysuckle on the nose, I got white pear fruit with a hint of lime on the palate. Also some notes of vanilla and hazelnut. The winery tasting notes also mention lemongrass, another hint that the wine could be a good match for Asian cuisine!
The L’Ecole Semillon is full-bodied, so that it is a better match for the ground pork than some other whites I might typically choose for Asian food. The wine also has a lot of nuanced flavors that pick the vibrant ginger and miso flavors of the sauce. An excellent pairing!
The 2019 L’Ecole Semillon is comprised of 88% Semillon and 12% Sauvignon Blanc from the Columbia Valley. I hadn’t bought this wine in awhile, and had forgotten what a great value it is for the quality and complexity – just $15 on the winery website!
A Rhône Pairing
After first pairing this stir fry with a Semillon from Washington state, we recently tried a version of this dish with a Côtes Du Rhône Viogner. Another great option!
The 2020 Chateau Beauchene Viognier ($18, 13.5% ABV) has notes of lemon peel on the nose. On the palate, I get Meyer Lemon, honey and peach fruit. Also a bit of caramel, perhaps from the 6 months of oak aging it sees. There is also some underlying minerality.
We were very pleased with how the Viogner pairs with the pork stir fry! The tasting sheet also suggests goat cheese, shellfish, or white fish with lemon or butter sauce.
For more pairings like this one, check out the Côtes Du Rhône pairings that we served up with our Grilled Sirloin Steak recipe.
PrintRecipe card
Ground Pork Stir Fry with Collard Greens
Ground Pork Stir Fry with Collard Greens gets bright, lively flavor from a tasty miso ginger sauce. Excellent with a glass of Semillon from L’Ecole No. 41.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
- Category: main
- Method: stir-fry
- Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients
For the stir fry sauce
- 2 ½ tbsp miso paste
- 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp light vinegar such as rice or champagne
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- juice from ¼ of a lime
- dash of gochujang sriracha sauce (optional)
- ½ tsp or more to taste minced jalapeño pepper
Other ingredients
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 lb ground pork
- 4 cups collard greens, stems removed and leaves thinly sliced
- 1 scallion, chopped
- cooked rice, for serving
Instructions
- Make the sauce: Whisk together the miso paste, water and soy sauce. Add the remaining sauce ingredients — syrup, vinegar, ginger, jalapeño, lime juice, and optional gochujang sriracha– and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Start the stir fry: Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet on medium high heat. Add the onion, stir to combine with the oil. Cook about 3 minutes until it begins to soften. Add the bell pepper, and stir fry for another couple of minutes.
- Add the pork to the pan, breaking up with a heavy spoon, and stir to combine with the onions and peppers. Stir frequently for 3 to 5 minutes, until the pork begins turning white on the outside.
- Stir in the collard greens to the skillet or wok. Add the collards in two batches if needed so that they will fit into the pan.
- Add sauce: Stir in most of the sauce, to combine it with the pork and collard greens. Reserve about a tablespoon to add after cooking (make sure this doesn’t touch the meat which hasn’t fully cooked yet). Add the scallions. Stir to combine.
- Finish cooking: After stirring in the sauce, reduce heat to medium low. Cover the skillet or walk, and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. The pork should be fully cooked through, and the greens tender.
- Serve the pork and collard green stir fry over rice. Enjoy with a good glass of Semillon or other white wine that pairs with Asian cuisine.
Notes
- You can vary the vegetables if you like. We have used cabbage instead of the collard greens. You could also swap the collards for other greens, too.
Wine pairings for Asian food
Check out some more great wine pairings for Asian food from the Wine Pairing Weekend crew!
- An Affordable and Aromatic Gewürztraminer Paired with Thai Red Curry by Crushed Grape Chronicles
- Asian Appetizers Paired With Tozai Sake by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Cashew Chicken With A Crisp Riesling by Our Good Life
- Ground Pork Stir Fry with Collard Greens by Cooking Chat
- Knocking off CPK While Sipping SMV Riesling by Exploring the Wine Glass
- Japanese Sake and Octopus Salad by Avvinare
- Our Osechi Ryori おせち料理 (Japanese New Year’s Food), Other New Year’s Eve Traditions, + Recent Saké Explorations by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Rosé with Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup by The Quirky Cork
- Steak and Saké Night at the Culinary Cabin by Somm’s Table
- Sushi and Wine? Totally Fine! Here’s a Few to Try in 2021 by Wine Predator
- Tio Pepe Fino Sherry and Sushi/Sashimi: A Match Made in Heaven! by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
robincgc
I so enjoyed this wine. So much that I did not manage to pair it! I seem to have developed quite a love for Semillon over the past year or so.
The pairing sounds perfect! I don’t keep miso paste in my house and it is something I should for dishes like this. I’m adding it to my next shopping list!
Cooking Chat
I really just started getting into having miso on hand consistently over the past year. It keeps in our fridge for months after opening, when we don’t go through it fast.
Lori
so important to mise en place! Love this wine also!
Andrea
I really never thought before of Semillon with Asian foods! We have two 100% Semillon wines in Turkey and now I cannot wait to try one with some Asian flavors!
Cooking Chat
Sounds like a good plan!
Heidy
This was such a great fusion recipe. Coming from the South, I would have never thought of combining Ground Pork Stir Fry with Collard Greens! Thanks for the inspiring idea!Looking forward to your next recipe!
Cooking Chat
Glad to hear a Southerner approves!
Dannii
What a delicious looking stir fry. I love how many veggies are in it too.
Luci
This ground pork stir fry is delicious! So many tasty flavors all in one dish! I loved the added collard greens to help balance out the dish and to get some veggies in! I can’t wait to make this dish again!
Emily Liao
I’m always on the hunt for new stir fry recipes! This one was so good and will definitely make again.
Cooking Chat
Glad you liked it, Emily!
Camilla M. Mann
I LOVE that you paired the L’Ecole Semillon with an Asian-inspired dish. Thanks for joining me this month, David.
Kara
I love collard greens and usually cook them the southern way, stewed with bacon, or the Brazilian way, cut into thin ribbons and quickly sauteed with garlic. I hadn’t thought to use them in an Asian stir fry. Thanks for inspiring me to break out of my usual mold.
Martin Redmond
I just purchased some miso last week, and I love me some collard greens. I’ll have to try your recipe David! Will keep an eye out for the L’Ecole. What other wines might you suggest with this dish?
Cooking Chat
A nice Viogner might work too. Had a great one Sonoma recently — Whistler Vineyards. Maybe a White Rhone style blend too?
Nicole Ruiz-Hudson
Great tips for making stir-fries and I love the idea of that Semillon with this dish!
Cooking Chat
Loved this combo!
Helen
I love rustling up a quick stir fry at the end of a busy day and this one incorporates some of my favourite flavours. I’m a big fan of miso, ginger and jalapenos. Very much looking forward to trying this.
Cooking Chat
I’ve really gotten more into miso over the past year!