5-Spice Pork Stir Fry with Mandarin Oranges Recipe | Kelsey Nixon

Level: Intermediate
Yield: 4 servings
Total: 2 hr 20 min
Active: 40 min

Ingredients

Roast Pork with Peach BBQ Sauce:

4 cups peaches, peeled and sliced
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup ketchup
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
One 2 1/2-pound boneless pork loin roast
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock

Stir Fry:

2 cups white rice
3 tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup trimmed snow peas
1 red onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup mandarin orange supremes
4 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
Roasted peanuts, for serving
Mandarin oranges, for serving, optional

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Instructions

For the pork and peach BBQ sauce: Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Blend the peaches, brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger together in a food processor or blender until smooth.
Dry the pork with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. Save about half (around 2 cups) of the peach BBQ sauce for later use. Place the pork fat-side up on a rack in a sturdy roasting pan, then coat it evenly with the remaining sauce. Pour the stock into the pan bottom.
Bake the pork until an instant-read thermometer in the center shows 140 degrees F, roughly 1 hour. Move the pork to a baking sheet and let it rest for 10 minutes. Set aside 1 1/4 pounds for the stir-fry, saving the remainder for other meals or leftovers.
Take the rack out of the roasting pan and set the pan over medium-high heat on the stovetop. Stir in the saved BBQ sauce while scraping up the flavorful browned bits from the pan base. Simmer until the mixture reduces a bit and gets thicker, about 10 minutes.
For the stir fry: Prepare the rice following the package instructions.
Pour 2 tablespoons sesame oil into a small saut pan and warm over medium heat until it shimmers; remove from heat, stir in the five-spice powder, and allow it to cool to room temperature.
In the meantime, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, orange juice, sugar, and cornstarch in a small bowl, whisking until smooth.
Cut the pork into 1/4-inch thick slices, then cut those into 1/2-inch strips. Put the pork strips in a medium bowl and toss with the cooled sesame oil and five-spice blend to coat evenly.
In a large skillet or wok, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over high heat until smoking hot. Toss in the snow peas, onions, and bell peppers, stir-frying for about 1 minute until they start to soften. Add the ginger and garlic, stir-frying for another minute. Then incorporate the pork strips, soy-vinegar sauce, and scallions, cooking until the pork heats up fully, 1 to 2 minutes more.
Keep cooking until the sauce thickens and clings to everything, another 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir a couple more times. Spoon over the cooked rice and top with roasted peanuts and extra mandarin oranges if you like.

Why You'll Love This Dish

Imagine tender, juicy pork glazed with a sweet-tangy peach BBQ sauce, transformed into a vibrant Asian-inspired stir-fry bursting with flavor. The warm, aromatic five-spice infuses every bite, perfectly balancing crisp snow peas, bell peppers, and juicy mandarin oranges. It's a weeknight herounder 40 minutes of active time yields restaurant-quality results that wow the family.

Pro Tips to Inspire Your Kitchen Adventure:

Roast the pork ahead for an even quicker dinner.
Add fresh chilies for heat or honey for extra sweetness.
Leftovers shine in lunch bowlsreheat and devour!
Swap in pineapple for the BBQ sauce or snap peas for snow peas to make it your own.
Pair with steamed bok choy or cucumber salad for a feast.
Don't skip the sesame oil marinadeit seals in unbeatable flavor.

Grab your wok and get cookingthis dish turns pantry staples into pure magic!