Keto Thai Ginger Pork with Crispy Fried Cabbage
Unbelievably tender slices of simmered pork shoulder stir fried with onions, chilies, and peppers, coated in a Thai inspired soy, lemongrass, garlic, ginger sauce. Served over a bed of crispy pan fried low carb cabbage noodles.
A satisfying keto meal with less than 10g of net carbs!
This mouthwatering Thai stir fry gets its bold flavours from my aromatic curry paste, full of chilies, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, onions and peppers.
Make a quick batch of low carb aromatic curry paste now!
This recipe takes generally tough but affordable cut of pork shoulder and turns it into a butter soft, melt in your mouth experience.
After being rapidly simmered on the stove with water and ginger, the ultra tender pork is then fried hot with onions, chilies, lemongrass and other Asian aromatics to create a beautiful Thai inspired sauce.
This flavourful stir fry is then served over a bed of thinly sliced pan fried low carb cabbage noodles and if you are feeling fancy, topped with a crispy fried egg!
Just 9.5g of net carbs (6.5g from the stir fry, 2.9g from the cabbage noodles) per serving makes this a keto friendly meal you can enjoy with the whole family.
Why You Will love This Recipe
- Softest, most tender slices of pork shoulder you’ve ever had
- Very simple preparation makes this a no-brainer low carb meal
- This recipe is very flexible and can be tailored to the flavours you enjoy
- A simple method for tenderizing an otherwise very tough but affordable cut of pork
- The bold Thai flavours at home using simple ingredients
What You Need to Know
Rapid Simmering Pork:
This is not required for all cuts of pork, only tougher simmering cuts such as pork shoulder, Boston butt, picnic roast, etc which generally require a long cooking to become tender.
This process involves slicing the pork very thin, almost shaving it, and adding it to a pan covered with water. This is then simmered on high for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the water completely boils off.
What you will be left with is a pile of very tender cooked pork, frying in its own drippings. This in itself is so delicious you’ll want to eat it as is.
It’s a good idea to add the minced ginger to the pan along with the pork during the long simmer as it will soften alongside the pork while infusing the pork with ginger flavour.
Notice that the fat cap is left on and the pork is sliced in such a way that each strip has a nice piece of fat attached to enhance the flavours and richness of each bite.
This method of quickly tenderizing pork shoulder is great for many recipes such a stir fry, Mexican carnitas, Pork Ragu, or anytime you want buttery soft falvourful strips of pork shoulder.
Aromatic Curry Paste
I have a whole post on how to make this aromatic curry paste which I use to make many different South Asian dishes and has become a staple in my cooking.
In short, use a food processor to make a paste containing:
- Onions
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Carrot
- Cilantro
- Parsley
- Turmeric
- Hot chili pepper
- Sweet pepper
- Lemon grass
You don’t need to use this recipe, but I recommend you do! It’s super simple, take mere minutes, and it keeps in the fridge for a long time! Weeks if sealed properly and even longer when frozen.
I keep a batch in the fridge at all times and use as needed, if you don’t want to do that you will need to add finely chopped/minced chilies, peppers, onions, garlic, cilantro, and lemongrass to achieve a similar flavour.
Crispy Fried Cabbage Noodles
You can use literally any type of cabbage, even bok choy for this part.
Use a sharp knife to cut the cabbage into matchsticks or thin shavings and fry salted in hot oil for 8-10 minutes until it turns dark or golden brown on the edges and it fork tender.
If you don’t care for crispy fried cabbage noodles (weirdo) then serve this keto stir fry without favourite low carb side such a cauliflower rice, salad, shirataki noodles, or sautéed vegetables.
A Spicy Keto Stir Fry
You can choose the heat level of this recipe by omitting or adding more sriracha, and chilies to the mix.
While the aromatic curry paste has plenty of chilies in it for some, it can get slightly muted with cooking. Turn up the heat by garnishing with fresh chopped Thai chilies.
Keto Thai Ginger Pork Stir Fry with Fried Cabbage Noodles
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Equipment
- deep wok or simmering pan
- Knife and Cutting Board
- large frying pan
- wooden spoon
Ingredients
Thai Ginger Pork
- 2 pounds pork shoulder boneless, skinless, with fat cap
- 3 tablespoons vinegar
- 3 tablespoons ginger minced
- water to cover
- salt and pepper
- ½ cup Aromatic curry paste ingredients below
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 2 whole red Thai chilies
- ¼ cup soy sauce dark is best
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 stalks green onion sliced
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Crispy Fried Cabbage
- 8 cups cabbage sliced thin or shredded
- salt
- oil/butter for frying
Aromatic Curry Paste
- 1 large onion
- 1 large bell pepper red or green
- 6 whole Thai chili pepper red or green
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 medium carrot optional
- 1 cup cilantro fresh
- ½ cup parsley fresh
- 2 stalks lemongrass finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons ginger root fresh
- 1 tablespoon turmeric root or ½ tablespoon turmeric powder
Instructions
Thai Ginger Pork
- For tougher simmering cuts like pork shoulder, Boston butt, picnic roast . Slice into steaks with the fat cap on. Using a sharp knife, slice across the steaks making thin shaving like slices. Each piece should have a bit of the fat cap on it.2 pounds pork shoulder
- Heat a deep wok or frying pan over high heat and add sliced pork shoulder, vinegar, minced ginger, and lightly season with salt and pepper. Fry for 3-5 minutes until the water from the meat has released into the pan.2 pounds pork shoulder, 3 tablespoons vinegar, 3 tablespoons ginger, water, salt and pepper
- Fill the pan with enough water to cover the pork and bring to a rapid simmer. Simmer for 45-50 minutes or until all the water in the pan has boiled off. This is crucial for tenderizing tough cuts like pork shoulder. Sometimes the pork foams and clumps together, use a wooden spoon to break apart during simmering.
- Once the water has simmered off and all the remains is tender cooked pork and drippings, make a well to expose the bottom of the hot pan and add aromatic curry paste to fry for 3-5 minutes.½ cup Aromatic curry paste
- Next add, sliced onions, garlic, and whole chilies. Continue to fry, stirring occasionally to prevent burning until the onions have become translucent and tender. 8-10 minutes.1 medium onion, 2 whole red Thai chilies
- Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sriracha, combine well and cook until the sauce has thickened and reduced to your liking.¼ cup soy sauce, 3 tablespoons oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon sriracha
- Season to taste and squeeze in fresh lemon juice.3 tablespoons lemon juice
- Garnish with fresh cilantro, green onions, and top with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and if you want and crispy fried egg.1 tablespoon sesame seeds, 1 cup cilantro, 1 stalks green onion
Crispy Fried Cabbage
- Slice or shred cabbage into thin matchstick sized pieces.8 cups cabbage
- Heat oil in a fry pan over medium-high heat and add in the sliced cabbage. Salt well.oil/butter, salt
- Fry, stirring occasionally until the cabbage has become for tender and started to brown. The edges should be crispy and golden brown.
Aromatic Curry Paste
- Clean and peel all of the ingredients as necessary. Break larger ingredients down into manageable pieces and add everything to the food processor1 large onion, 1 large bell pepper, 6 whole Thai chili pepper, 5 cloves garlic, 1 medium carrot, 1 cup cilantro, ½ cup parsley, 2 stalks lemongrass, 2 tablespoons ginger root, 1 tablespoon turmeric root
- Run on high until all of the ingredients have broken down into a chunky paste
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated using the recipe calculator and verified database available from Cronometer. Although every reasonable effort is made to provide accurate information this estimate is provided as courteously and convenience only. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
Try the free recipe calculator at Cronometer
Recipe Variations
- Change the meat: Other cuts of pork or another meat altogether can be used. Thinly sliced beef, chicken or even shrimp would taste amazing
- Change the veggies: Any veggies you like can be added, carrots, celery, bok choy, broccoli, are great choices
- Change the sauce: Many Asian condiments can make a flavourful stir fry sauce, soy, oyster, hoisin, fish sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, just to name a few!
- Change the side: If fried cabbage isn’t your thing, try low carb cauliflower rice, shirataki noodles, or roasted vegetables.
- Top it with an egg: What doesn’t taste good with a crispy fried egg oozing over top!
5 Tips to Master this Recipe
- Buy pork with the fat cap: It will melt away during the long simmer and make the sauce rich and flavourful
- Slice the pork very thin: A clean pulling motion with a sharp angled knife should give you nice thin shavings
- Use dark soy sauce: Using dark soy sauce deepens the flavour and adds a nice saltiness to the dish
- Add delicate herbs at the end: Herbs like cilantro don’t need much cooking and overcooking will only mute the flavours
- Salt at the end: Many of the ingredients are quite salty so it’s best to add the majority of the salt at the end after tasting to avoid over salting the dish
Enjoy!
