A quick and common home-cooking recipe from Yunnan: pork or beef, chilies, and tomato stir-fry. It is another rice killer or rice-accompanying dish. The name Hóng Sān Duò literally translates as “red three chop”, Duò meaning to chop or mince. And the three ingredients are pork, chilies, and tomato. It has a lovely, well-balanced flavor of chili freshness, sweet-and-sour from tomatoes, and aromatics from well-seared minced pork.
I first met this on my trip in Yunnan in a small local restaurant. I love food in that region because there are so many ingredients to choose from and so many interesting combinations. The mint beef and mint deep-fried ribs also really appeal to me.
This is a super-easy recipe because it calls for very common, basic ingredients. I made a larger batch that can serve around 4. We only eat half of them since there are only two of us, and then save the remaining for the noodle soup topping the next day. It is so good in noodle soup too.
The Role of the Tomato — and Why It Matters
The tomato is doing the work of an entire sauce in most other dishes in this humble dish. Tomato cubes release natural sugars and acids, working as a natural flavor enhancer for minced pork. It also provides a basic sweet-and-sour tone for the dish. If you prefer a hotter version, add some chopped Thai chili pepper.
Ingredients
- 2 medium-sized tomatoes- peeled and finely chopped
- 4 long green chili peppers- finely chopped
- 100g pork butt or other parts with some fat- you can either use pork butt or pork belly
- 3 garlic cloves- minced
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. ground pepper
- 2 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 4 tbsp. vegetable cooking oil
Step-by-Step Ingredients
Let’s hand-chop all the ingredients first. I recommend you chop all of them by yourself. Firstly, chop the pork into a coarse mince. Then chop the chilis, peel the tomato, and cut it into small dice too. I highly recommend peeling the tomato first for a clean texture.
Add a small pinch of salt and a dash of pepper to the chopped pork. Mix well and marinate for around 10 minutes.
Prepare a wok, add oil, and fry the pork until crispy on the edges and golden brown. Add garlic and fry until aromatic.
Add some extra oil, add tomato, chili peppers, salt, and sugar. Fry for about 3-5 minutes, until they are super soft and juicy.
Add a small pinch of salt and sugar, then light soy sauce. Mix well.
You can try matching it with steamed rice, rice noodle soup, regular noodle soup, or even steamed buns or bread.
- 2 medium-sized tomatoes- peeled and finely chopped
- 4 long green chili peppers- finely chopped
- 200 g pork butt or other parts with some fat- you can either use pork butt or pork belly
- 3 garlic cloves- minced
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. ground pepper
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
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Let’s hand-chop all the ingredients first. I recommend you chop all of them by yourself. Firstly, chop the pork into a coarse mince. Then chop the chilis, peel the tomato, and cut it into small dice too. I highly recommend peeling the tomato first for a clean texture.
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Add a small pinch of salt, a dash of pepper to the chopped pork. Mix well and marinate for around 10 minutes.
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Prepare a wok, add oil, and fry the pork until crispy on the edges and golden brown. Add garlic and fry until aromatic.
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Add tomato, chili peppers, salt, and sugar. Fry for about 3-5 minutes, until they are super soft and juicy and all the flavors are well combined.
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You can try to match it with steamed rice, rice noodle soup, regular noodle soup, or even with steamed buns or bread.
Calories: 151kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 361mg | Potassium: 324mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 524IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg
