Rice wine pork mince with beans and mushrooms

The day I discovered pork mince was an important one. I don’t remember when exactly it was, but I know that it changed my view of mincemeat entirely. It is much lighter than beef mince, and it is also less oily, making it ideal for a light meal. The first dish I made with pork mince was lettuce wraps (a delicious, healthy way of going carbless), and a few weeks ago I decided to experiment a little with this tasty meat, with great results!

This dish was made on a weeknight and was surprisingly simple and delicious (my favourite kind of dinner!). I got the beans and mushrooms from the vegetable stall outside my house – a much cheaper option that also lets me get exactly the amount I want. They know me by now and always greet me with a smile. Then again, I buy a box of strawberries every 2-3 days, so they are smiling for a reason!

Back to the pork. You’ll need various Asian sauces to make it – I highly recommend the brand Lee Kum Kee, as my mother has been using it ever since I can remember. They actually invented oyster sauce, and their Chiu Chow Chilli Oil is so flavourful, I only needed one teaspoon in this dish to give it a fiery kick!

Because I cut the beans in very small pieces, this dish was cooked a lot more quickly – I highly recommend doing the same unless you strongly prefer large pieces. You can also use oyster, shiitake, or chestnut mushrooms.

Serves 2-3 people

• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2.5 inches ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp chili oil (I used Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow Chilli Oil)
• 500g pork mince
• 200g green beans, ends trimmed and chopped into small rounds
• 50g oyster or shiitake mushrooms, chopped into small pieces (if using dried shiitake, soak in boiling water first)
• 5 tbsp rice wine
• 100ml chicken stock
• 3 tbsp Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce (adds a lovely rich colour to the dish)
• Generous squeezes of sriracha

Heat the sesame and chili oil and fry the garlic and ginger for a few minutes until fragrant. Then add the pork and stir fry until it is around half cooked. Add the beans and mushrooms and stir before adding the rice wine, chicken stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce (both), and sriracha. Let simmer until the pork is fully cooked, stirring occasionally. Top with more sriracha if desired!

You can serve this dish with jasmine rice, or even egg fried rice. For the latter, simply take day-old white rice and fry it in a bit of sesame oil. Push the rice aside and make a hole in the middle of the pan, crack 2 eggs into it and stir everything up with a bit of soy sauce. Serve!