Inspired by the flavors of Vietnamese cuisine, this easy, versatile stir-fry is one of our favorite quick dinners because you can easily switch up the protein and vegetables to use ingredients you have on hand or suit your mood. Pictured here is boneless lamb with red bell pepper, but we’ve also used beef flank steak with fresh green beans, and boneless pork loin chops with snow peas. You’ll find more about these variations below.
Key Ingredients
These are the ingredients that are key to producing the Vietnamese-style flavors in this simple stir-fry.
- Fish sauce: This staple of Vietnamese cuisine is made from salted and fermented anchovies. It has a bold umami quality that lends a distinctive flavor to marinades, dressings, stir-fry and dipping sauces.
- Lime juice and sugar: When combined with fish sauce, fresh-squeezed lime juice and a bit of sugar create the fabulous blend of sweet, salty, and tangy flavors that help to give Vietnamese food its unique flavor profile.
- Onion: Onions are another common component in Vietnamese stir-frys as their sweetness and tender texture offer a nice complement to other ingredients.
- Black pepper: With Vietnam being one of the largest producers of black peppercorns in the world, it’s no wonder that the pungent heat of this flavorful spice plays a predominant role in the country’s cuisine.
- Cilantro: Along with other herbs like Thai basil, perilla, lemongrass, and mint, the herbaceous flavor of cilantro is central to the cuisine of Southeast Asia. In this stir-fry, whole leaves are added at the end of cooking to preserve the fresh quality they bring to the finished dish.
Ingredient Note: If you like lamb but your local markets don’t carry a variety of cuts on a regular basis, you might want to consider a mail-order source. We often shop with D’Artagnan Foods and love their boneless Australian lamb loins for this dish.
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How to Make Vietnamese Garlic and Black Pepper Stir-Fry
This is an overview of how this dish is made. Detailed measurements, ingredients, instructions, and times are available in the printable version of the recipe below.
- Cut your meat into thin slices and place it in a shallow bowl.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together fish sauce, sugar, oil, and lime juice until blended. Stir in some minced garlic and drizzle over the meat.
- Season liberally with freshly ground black pepper and combine to coat the meat in the marinade. Set aside at room temperature for 15 minutes (this is a good time to cook your rice).
- Heat some oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper and stir-fry until crisp-tender. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Return the pan to the stove, add the meat, and stir-fry until no longer pink on the outside, then return the veggies to the pan and stir-fry for about one-half minute longer.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning, drizzle with lime juice, add cilantro leaves, and combine. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with extra cilantro and a few grinds of black pepper, and serve over rice.
Vietnamese Stir-Fry Variations
As we mentioned above, the recipe is pictured using boneless lamb, sliced thin, and stir-fried along with onion and red bell pepper, but other combinations of protein and fresh veggies are an option. No matter what type of meat you choose you’ll want to trim any excess fat and slice it thinly across the grain. Here are a few ideas for making this recipe your own:
- Beef flank steak with onion and green beans: The recipe instructions should remain the same for steak as they are for the lamb with one exception – green beans need a little extra cooking time. Cut them on the diagonal into 1-1/2-inch pieces and start stir-frying them about 30 seconds ahead of the onion.
- Boneless pork chops with onion and snap peas: Follow the recipe as written and simply substitute sliced pork loin chops for lamb.
- Shrimp with onion and snow peas: Use jumbo shrimp and peel and devein them as you would for any sauté or stir-fry. Follow the recipe instructions for cooking the vegetables and cook the shrimp just until pink and opaque.
How to Scale This Recipe for Two Servings
To scale this recipe down to two servings you can simply cut the ingredient quantities in half, but depending on the size of the pan you use for stir-frying, the already brief cooking time may be reduced even more. Unused space in a pan can make it easy to overcook proteins and evaporate liquids, so be sure to keep a close eye on your stir-fry.
Our recipe scaling tool: Every recipe on MyGourmetConnection features a tool that will automatically adjust the ingredient quantities for fewer or additional portions (it does not adjust instructions). To use it, click on the “Print Recipe” button within the recipe card below. The print version of the recipe will open in a new window and at the top, you’ll find the number of servings with adjustment buttons on either side of that number. The automated output will be rounded up and in decimal format.
Vietnamese Garlic and Black Pepper Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb boneless lamb, (substitute beef, pork, or shrimp, see notes)
- 1-1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, divided
- 4 to 5 cloves garlic, minced
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 slices sweet onion, halved and separated
- 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed
Instructions
- Trim any excess fat from your meat, cut it into thin slices (across the grain) and transfer to a shallow bowl.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, sugar, 2 tablespoons of the oil and 1 tablespoon of lime juice until blended. Stir in the minced garlic and drizzle over the meat.
- Season liberally with freshly ground black pepper and combine to coat the meat in the marinade. Set aside at room temperature for 15 minutes (this is a good time to cook your rice).
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and stir-fry until crisp-tender, 1-1/2 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Return the pan to the stove, add the meat and stir-fry until no longer pink on the outside, 2 minutes. Return the veggies to the pan and stir-fry for 30 seconds longer.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired, then drizzle with the remaining lime juice and add the cilantro, reserving a few leaves for garnish.
- Combine quickly and transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with the reserved cilantro and a few grinds of black pepper.
- Serve over steamed rice, cauliflower rice, or noodles.
Recipe Notes
Tips for recipe variations:
No matter what type of meat you choose you’ll want to trim any excess fat and slice it thinly across the grain. Not only do the thin slices ensure quick, even cooking, but they also provide more surface area for the marinade to adhere to.- Beef flank steak with onion and green beans: The recipe instructions should remain the same for steak as they are for the lamb with one exception – green beans need a little extra cooking time. Cut them on the diagonal into 1-1/2-inch pieces and start stir-frying them about 30 seconds ahead of the onion.
- Boneless pork chops with onion and snap peas: Follow the recipe as written and simply substitute sliced pork loin chops for lamb.
- Shrimp with onion and snow peas: Use jumbo shrimp and peel and devein them as you would for any sauté or stir-fry. Follow the recipe instructions for cooking the vegetables and cook the shrimp just until pink and opaque.
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