Author:
Kevin Curry
Food Pantry Meal: Crispy Pork & Rice
Want to save this recipe?
I got you! Just enter your email address, and I'll forward it to your inbox! Plus, you'll receive a bonus of healthful, "must-try" recipes each week!
Food Pantry Meal: Crispy Pork & Rice
Ingredients for 5 Pork & Rice servings
Substitution
Note
- Rice
- 1 tablespoon fat from canned pork OR olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 medium white onion, diced/chopped
- 1 tablespoon oregano (OPTIONAL)
- 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice (or brown rice, jasmine rice)
- 1/2 cup broth from pork or chicken can
- Substitute: 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups water (or liquid needed for the amount of rice you’re cooking)
- 1 small can (~1 1/2 cups) corn, drained
- 1/2 cup frozen peas (OPTIONAL)
- Crispy pork (or chicken)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1lb canned cooked pork, drained
- Substitute: canned cooked chicken
- 1 tablespoon chili powder (or taco seasoning)
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- Sea salt & pepper to taste
- Pear Sauce (OPTIONAL)
- 3/4 cup juice from can (or unsweetened apple juice)
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- Juice from 1 lemon OR 1 tablespoon white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon corn starch OR arrowroot
- Garnish
- Fresh cilantro
Steps
Step 1
Set a pot on medium heat. Once hot, add oil, garlic and onions. Sautee until the onions turn brown and somewhat translucent, about 3 minutes. Then add the rice and oregano, then stir and mix everything together, ensuring each grain of rice is covered in the mix. Add the liquid, then cover and cook until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is to your desired liking, about 18 – 20 minutes. Lastly, fold in the corn and peas. Set aside.
Step 2
Bring a nonstick skillet to high heat and once hot, add olive oil and pork. Chop up and shred the pork (or chicken) as it cooks in the skillet using a spatula, then add the seasonings and stir. Let the pork rest in the skillet for about a minute WITHOUT touching it, so the edges get crispy. Then continue stirring and mixing with the spatula, about 3 – 4 minutes. Season to taste with sea salt & pepper, then set aside.
Step 3
In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the pear sauce. Using the same skillet as the pork, set it on low-medium heat, then pour in the sauce. Continuously stir the sauce so it thickens. If it is boiling or simmering, the skillet is too hot and the sauce will get slimy so be careful. Once you’ve reached your desired consistency, remove it from the heat immediately.
Step 4
Bring everything together. The rice, crispy pork and then the pear sauce. If you have it, garnish with fresh cilantro.
Food Pantry Meal: Crispy Pork & Rice
Kevin Curry
- Rice
- 1 tablespoon fat from canned pork OR olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 medium white onion, diced/chopped
- 1 tablespoon oregano (OPTIONAL)
- 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice (or brown rice, jasmine rice)
- 1/2 cup broth from pork or chicken can
- Substitute: 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups water (or liquid needed for the amount of rice you’re cooking)
- 1 small can (~1 1/2 cups) corn, drained
- 1/2 cup frozen peas (OPTIONAL)
- Crispy pork (or chicken)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1lb canned cooked pork, drained
- Substitute: canned cooked chicken
- 1 tablespoon chili powder (or taco seasoning)
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- Sea salt & pepper to taste
- Pear Sauce (OPTIONAL)
- 3/4 cup juice from can (or unsweetened apple juice)
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- Juice from 1 lemon OR 1 tablespoon white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon corn starch OR arrowroot
- Garnish
- Fresh cilantro
-
Set a pot on medium heat. Once hot, add oil, garlic and onions. Sautee until the onions turn brown and somewhat translucent, about 3 minutes. Then add the rice and oregano, then stir and mix everything together, ensuring each grain of rice is covered in the mix. Add the liquid, then cover and cook until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is to your desired liking, about 18 – 20 minutes. Lastly, fold in the corn and peas. Set aside.
-
Bring a nonstick skillet to high heat and once hot, add olive oil and pork. Chop up and shred the pork (or chicken) as it cooks in the skillet using a spatula, then add the seasonings and stir. Let the pork rest in the skillet for about a minute WITHOUT touching it, so the edges get crispy. Then continue stirring and mixing with the spatula, about 3 – 4 minutes. Season to taste with sea salt & pepper, then set aside.
-
In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the pear sauce. Using the same skillet as the pork, set it on low-medium heat, then pour in the sauce. Continuously stir the sauce so it thickens. If it is boiling or simmering, the skillet is too hot and the sauce will get slimy so be careful. Once you’ve reached your desired consistency, remove it from the heat immediately.
-
Bring everything together. The rice, crispy pork and then the pear sauce. If you have it, garnish with fresh cilantro.
Nutrition per serving
Reviews
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hey, I'm Kevin
My name is Kevin. My life changed when I realized that healthy living is a lifelong journey, mainly won by having a well-balanced diet and maintaining an active lifestyle.
By experimenting in the kitchen and sharing my meals on Tumblr, I learned healthy eating is not boring! By making a few adjustments to my favorite foods, I could design a diet that could help me achieve my wellness goals while satisfying my desire for BANGIN food! 😅 Now I try to help people around the world realize that same level of freedom in eating regardless of budget. Welcome, let's #DemocratizeWellness together!
Jun 19 2023
My family at first was skeptical but now making it more often. So thank you for helping me find something different to make 🙂
phew! glad we made the family a believer! lol thanks for letting me know!
Jul 16 2023
Very Delicious! I used a little of Emeril’s Essence seasoning on the pork to give it a bit more heat & added a bit of brown sugar to the pear sauce because the canned pear juice I used was not very sweet.. The sweet of the sauce with the heat of the meat were a good pair. I will definitely make this again!
Ok – I wanna taste YOUR version! lol sounds bangin!
Jul 22 2023
I was wondering how to convert this to a crock pot. I don’t have a stove. Thank you for this. I used to use canned pork to make dog food due to the fat content. I realize the pork won’t be crispy.
yeah it will be a bit hard to get it crispy BUT I would instead try to make it saucy like sloppy joe or pulled pork BBQ.