Stir-Fried Cabbage and Pork in Fish Sauce Butter

Name: Stir-Fried Cabbage and Pork in Fish Sauce Butter
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or safflower; 1 pound ground pork; Salt and pepper; 3 scallions, thinly sliced; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 pound green or red cabbage, chopped into 1-inch pieces (about 5 cups); 1 tablespoon fish sauce; 1 tablespoon lime juice, plus wedges for serving; 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper; 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish; Cooked rice (such as short-grain white or brown rice), for serving

By Kay Chun

Published March 11, 2025

Stir-Fried Cabbage and Pork in Fish Sauce Butter — David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 30 minutes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Rating: 5(1,125)
Comments: Read comments

This quick, weeknight cabbage and pork stir-fry is humble in ingredients yet packed with flavor, thanks to briny fish sauce, rich brown butter and potent aromatics (ginger, garlic and red-pepper flakes). Chopped cabbage gets a nice char in butter that browns as it cooks, adding richness to the lean vegetable. Fast-cooking ground pork is infused with garlic, ginger and scallions, and the final addition of salty fish sauce, bright lime juice and chopped fresh cilantro creates a punchy sauce. If you like a jolt of heat, use a thinly sliced bird’s-eye chile in place of the crushed red pepper.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

1tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or safflower
1pound ground pork
Salt and pepper
3scallions, thinly sliced
3garlic cloves, minced
1tablespoon minced fresh ginger
3tablespoons unsalted butter
1pound green or red cabbage, chopped into 1-inch pieces (about 5 cups)
1tablespoon fish sauce
1tablespoon lime juice, plus wedges for serving
¼teaspoon crushed red pepper
½cup coarsely chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
Cooked rice (such as short-grain white or brown rice), for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add pork, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up the meat until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
Step 2
Add scallions, garlic and ginger, and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Transfer the pork mixture to a plate.
Step 3
Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the skillet and stir until melted. Add cabbage, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender and golden in spots, 5 minutes.
Step 4
Stir in the pork mixture (and any accumulated juices), then add fish sauce, lime juice, crushed red pepper and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, and mix well. Turn off the heat. Season with salt and pepper and stir in cilantro.
Step 5
Divide pork and cabbage mixture over rice in bowls. Top with more cilantro and serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.

Ratings

5 out of 5

1,125 user ratings

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Comments

Ellen3 months ago

Perfect combination of tasty, quick, cheap, and relatively healthy. When I make it again (which I’m sure I will) I’ll use a wok or a Dutch oven instead of a large frying pan, as it was a little too full to comfortably stir. Great recipe.

Jeanette R3 months ago

@Carly Fish sauce is quite salty, and varies according to brand. This will determine thee need for additional salt.

Carly3 months ago

Very good weeknight dinner! It definitely needs a good bit of salt- 1 lb of cabbage 1 lb of pork requires a lot. I wish NYT recipes would recommend at least a base amount of salt to start with. “Season with salt” implies a sprinkling (to non-chefs), which is definitely nowhere near enough for most dishes.

Mikaelk1 week ago

I used ground beef (no ground pork in store). Good recipe, easy to make. I don't know if it's cheap - (depends on what is already available in kitchen).

BK771 week ago

I made this the first time because I had some ground turkey in the freezer and half a cabbage that needed a home. It's surprisingly good, My teenager requested it for dinner tonight--sounds good! definitely use a dutch oven.

Kerry1 week ago

Could you use spinach in place of cabbage?

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