Pork Tenderloin Stir-Fry

Summer. Tyler's graduated. He starts HCC in the fall. For now, he's working full-time at Shipley's and saving money with the determination of a man who watched his father barely make it and decided: I will not barely make it. He's also been helping me with something new: a pop-up. Hector has been pushing me for a year to do a pop-up — a one-night food event, no restaurant, no overhead, just Bobby Tran and his smoker in a parking lot or a backyard serving Vietnamese-Texas BBQ to anyone who shows up. Hector says, "You won first place. People will come." I'm not sure. I'm a restaurant equipment salesman, not a restaurateur. There's a reason I sell equipment instead of operating it — I've seen what restaurants do to people. The hours, the stress, the margins, the burnout. But a pop-up is different. One night. One menu. Cook, serve, done. So I'm thinking about it. Not deciding — thinking. The menu would be simple: fish sauce brisket, spring rolls, Vietnamese coleslaw, rice, and the Vietnamese BBQ sauce as a condiment. Maybe the sausage if I can make enough. Maybe the bao buns. Emma is aggressively in favor. "Dad, do it. I'll work the line. Tyler can run the smoker. Lily can do front of house." She's already staffing a restaurant I haven't agreed to open. She's her mother's daughter in the organizational department and her father's daughter in the ambition department. Ma heard about the pop-up idea and said, "Will you serve pho?" I said, "No, Ma. Brisket." She said, "People want pho." I said, "It's a BBQ pop-up." She said, "Put pho on the menu." I'm not putting pho on the menu. But the idea of Vietnamese BBQ AND pho is now in my head and it won't leave. Fishing trip to Galveston with all three kids — the annual tradition. Tyler drove. Lily caught two specks. Emma read a cookbook on the bow. I caught a redfish and thought about pop-ups and fish sauce and whether a forty-five-year-old man who's been cooking in his backyard for twenty years should take a chance on something bigger. Maybe. Not yet. But maybe.

We got back from Galveston sunburned and quiet, the kind of quiet that comes after a good day with people you love. Tyler drove, Lily dozed in the back with her fishing hat over her face, and I sat in the passenger seat running pop-up menus through my head like a man who hasn’t decided anything but can’t stop planning anyway. That night, I didn’t want to fire up the smoker — I just wanted to cook something fast, something that felt like me without the production. Pork tenderloin, high heat, a pan full of vegetables and a sauce that goes wherever you let it — this is what I make when I’m thinking, and I was thinking hard that night.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed and sliced thin against the grain (about 1/4-inch slices)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 cup broccoli florets, cut small
1 cup snap peas, strings removed
3 green onions, sliced, white and green parts separated
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (optional, for heat)
Cooked jasmine rice, for serving
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

Marinate the pork. In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch. Add the sliced pork and toss to coat. Let marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes while you prep the vegetables.
Heat the wok. Set a large wok or heavy skillet over high heat until it just begins to smoke. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and swirl to coat.
Sear the pork. Add the pork in a single layer, working in batches if needed — crowding kills the sear. Cook 1 to 2 minutes per side until browned and just cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Cook the aromatics. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, then the garlic, ginger, and white parts of the green onions. Stir constantly for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Stir-fry the vegetables. Add the broccoli and bell pepper. Stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes until just tender but still with a little snap. Add the snap peas in the last minute of cooking.
Combine and finish. Return the pork to the wok. Add chili garlic sauce if using. Toss everything together over high heat for 1 minute until the sauce coats the pork and vegetables and everything is glossy.
Serve. Spoon over jasmine rice. Top with the green parts of the green onions and a scatter of toasted sesame seeds.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pork Tenderloin Stir-Fry — Testing Flavors Between the Big Decisions