This ginger and carrot stir-fry is a weeknight meal made with matchsticks of (you guessed it!) ginger and carrot along with pork, ginger, chiles, and soy sauce. A Chinese inspired tangle of ingredients that’s easy, healthy, and on the table in half an hour.

Adapted from Jeffrey Alford | Naomi Duguid | Beyond the Great Wall | Artisan, 2008

There’s nothing wallflowerish about the warming potency of ginger. The tongue-tingling, sinus-clearing, tummy-settling, breathtakingly rollercoaster-like rhizome lends oomph even in small doses, let alone in large quantities as in this stir-fry. Those with an unabashed thing for its gingery zing will swoon to this recipe’s zippadeedooda. If you’re not an unabashed devotee of ginger, bear in mind that the carrots’ sweetness tones the potency of the ginger down a notch or three. And those not so into pork will find that situation easily remedied as it can be omitted if you desire; the dish will lack a little of its savory complexity though none of its warmth.–Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

This ginger and carrot stir-fry is a weeknight meal made with matchsticks of (you guessed it!) ginger and carrot along with pork, ginger, chiles, and soy sauce. A Chinese inspired tangle of ingredients that’s easy, healthy, and on the table in half an hour.

Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

Prep 25 mins

Total 25 mins

  • About 1/3 pound ginger (pretty much an entire hand or branch or whatever you call those things)
  • About 2/3 pound carrots
  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil or lard
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1/3 pound boneless pork butt, shoulder, or loin thinly sliced and cut into 1/2-by-1 1/2 -inch strips
  • 2 whole green cayenne chili peppers or 3 dried red chili peppers
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste (optional)
  • 1 cup cold water
  • 10 to 12 Szechuan peppercorns (may substitute jalapeno for milder heat or Serrano for slightly more heat) or 3 dried red chilis
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce or to taste
  • Cooked white or brown rice for serving

  • Peel the ginger and cut it lengthwise in half before cutting the pieces lengthwise into narrower strips the size of matchsticks. (You should have about 1 cup of ginger sticks.) Do the same with the carrots. (You should have about 1 3/4 cups carrot sticks.)

  • Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the oil or lard and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Toss in the garlic and stir-fry for 10 seconds or so, then toss in the pork and chilis. Stir-fry the ingredients, separating the pork so each slice gets exposed to the hot pan, until they’ve started to change color all over. This should take less than 2 minutes.

  • Toss in the carrots and ginger and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add the salt, if desired, and stir-fry for another minute.

  • Add the water, cover, and boil vigorously for about 3 minutes, then remove the lid and let the liquid boil down for a minute or two.

  • Add the Sichuan peppercorns and soy sauce. Stir-fry just until the carrots and ginger are tender but still a touch firm, about a minute. Turn the stir-fry onto a platter or into a shallow bowl and serve hot or warm with rice.

Serving: 1portionCalories: 181kcal (9%)Carbohydrates: 16g (5%)Protein: 11g (22%)Fat: 9g (14%)Saturated Fat: 2g (13%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 23mg (8%)Sodium: 493mg (21%)Potassium: 577mg (16%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 5g (6%)Vitamin A: 12764IU (255%)Vitamin C: 7mg (8%)Calcium: 42mg (4%)Iron: 1mg (6%)

Originally published January 05, 2020

Recipe © 2008 Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid . Photo © 2008 Richard Jung. All rights reserved. All materials used with permission.

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