Stir-Fried Cabbage and Pork in Fish Sauce Butter

By Kay Chun

Published March 10, 2025

  • David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
30 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(2,238)
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.

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 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

  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

  • ½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish

  • Cooked rice (such as short-grain white or brown rice), for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

25 grams carbs; 105 milligrams cholesterol; 519 calories; 15 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 37 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 736 milligrams sodium; 23 grams protein; 5 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. 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.

  2. Step 2

    Add scallions, garlic and ginger, and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Transfer the pork mixture to a plate.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. Step 5

    Divide pork and cabbage mixture over rice in bowls. Top with more cilantro and serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

5 out of 5
2,238 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Ellen

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 R

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

Carly

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.

Dawn

Butter was overwhelming but otherwise a great recipe!

Andy

This was an eye-opener. I was searching for a recipe that was not cole slaw to use up extra cabbage and this looked interesting enough to at least use it up with. Wrong. What a fantastic mix of flavors, different than any other recipe I make. And the fact that it was quick and easy was just a bonus. This will go into some version of my regular rotation.

Melanie

BLAND! I even doubled the sauce and added chili garlic sauce. It makes a lot so I am hoping to salvage the leftovers by making Nuoc Cham sauce and adding it. What's with the 5 stars???

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.