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Caramelized ground pork over jasmine rice with cucumber, scallions, cilantro and a lime wedge in a white bowl on a blue background.
Dinner · Vietnamese

Caramelized Ground Pork Rice Bowls

Brown sugar and fish sauce cook down into a sticky, salty-sweet glaze that clings to every crumble of pork. It's the same caramel idea behind Vietnamese braised pork, done in one skillet on a weeknight. Cold cucumber and a squeeze of lime keep the bowl from feeling heavy.

Quick facts

24 min(8 prep, 16 cook)

2 servings

  • Dairy-free

Contains: Fish

Step 0

Get it all out

Tick things off as they hit the counter.

  • 12 oz ground pork
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil, like canola
  • 1 shallot, thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 cups cooked jasmine rice, leftover or from microwavable pouches

For the glaze

  • 3 tbsp light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp water
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper

To serve

  • ½ English cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro leavesoptional
  • 1 jalapeño, thinly slicedoptional
Then

Let 'em cook

Tap Done as you go. Each step lists what goes in.

  1. 1

    In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, fish sauce, water and black pepper until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute.

    • 3 tbsp light brown sugar
    • 2 tbsp fish sauce
    • 2 tbsp water
    • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  2. 2

    Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until soft and golden at the edges, about 2 minutes.

    • 1 tbsp neutral oil
    • 1 shallot
  3. 3

    Add the pork to the skillet, then wash your hands and anything that touched the raw pork. Break the pork into small crumbles with a wooden spoon and cook, stirring now and then, until no pink remains, the bits are browned in spots and an instant-read thermometer pushed into a pile of the pork reads 160°F, 5 to 6 minutes.

    • 12 oz ground pork
  4. 4

    Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

    • 3 cloves garlic
  5. 5

    Turn the heat down to medium. Pour in the glaze and stir to coat the pork. Let it bubble, stirring often, until the liquid thickens into a glossy syrup that clings to the pork and leaves only a thin, sticky layer in the bottom of the skillet, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat.

    • 3 tbsp light brown sugar
    • 2 tbsp fish sauce
    • 2 tbsp water
    • ½ tsp ground black pepper
    • 12 oz ground pork
  6. 6

    Put the rice in a microwave-safe bowl, cover it with a damp paper towel and microwave on high until steaming hot all the way through, 2 to 3 minutes.

    • 3 cups cooked jasmine rice
  7. 7

    Divide the rice between 2 bowls and spoon the pork and any glaze from the skillet over the top. Add the cucumber, scallions, cilantro and jalapeño, and serve with the lime wedges for squeezing over. Refrigerate any leftovers within 2 hours.

    • 3 cups cooked jasmine rice
    • 12 oz ground pork
    • ½ English cucumber
    • 2 scallions
    • ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
    • 1 jalapeño
    • 1 lime