By I made the pork ragu Saturday. Sean's birthday dinner. I cooked it the way I had made it for his thirty-seventh — the long braise, the shoulder and the pancetta, the red wine and the milk, over polenta. I made it for the three of us. I served it with an extra place setting I did not fill. A plate. A glass. I did not do it for a ghost. I did it for me. I needed the table to acknowledge him.
Liam saw the fourth place setting. He said "Mommy. Is that for Daddy." I said "yes, Buddy. I wanted to remember him today." He said "okay." He sat down. He said "we can say grace for Daddy." I said "do you want to?" He said "yes." He bowed his head. He said "God. Thank you for Daddy. We miss him. Please tell him happy birthday from us. Amen." Nora said "amen." I said "amen." Then I passed the ragu.
They each ate. I ate. The food was good. It was what Sean would have wanted. We had cake afterward — a small chocolate cake my mother had sent home Friday, because she had called to ask if I wanted her to bring one and I had said yes. We ate a slice each. I kept one slice covered on the counter for three days. I ate it Tuesday morning with coffee.
The day was a day. It did not destroy me. It honored him. I got through. I did not need to get around it. I went through.
The ragu will always be Sean’s — the long braise is his birthday and I won’t make it any other way on that day. But the week after, when I still needed to cook for Liam and Nora and I wanted something that moved us gently forward, this pork and mango stir-fry was what I made. It’s fast and colorful and the sweetness of the mango against the savory pork feels like a small, uncomplicated celebration — the kind you can pull off on a Tuesday when the house is quiet and the kids need feeding and feeding them well is still the most honest thing you can do.
Pork & Mango Stir-Fry
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed and thinly sliced against the grain
- 1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 medium yellow onion, halved and sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Cooked white or jasmine rice, for serving
- Fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, and cornstarch until the cornstarch is fully dissolved. Set aside.
- Sear the pork. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat until shimmering. Add the pork slices in a single layer, season with black pepper, and cook undisturbed for 2 minutes. Stir-fry an additional 1–2 minutes until just cooked through. Transfer to a clean plate.
- Cook the vegetables. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the onion and bell pepper and stir-fry over high heat for 2–3 minutes until just softened and beginning to char at the edges. Add the garlic and ginger and stir constantly for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the mango and sauce. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add the mango cubes to the pan and pour the sauce over everything. Toss to coat and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the vegetables and mango.
- Finish and serve. Return the pork and any resting juices to the pan. Toss everything together and cook 30 seconds to heat through. Serve immediately over rice and garnish with fresh cilantro if desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 305 | Protein: 27g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 27g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 590mg