PORK RAGU WITH VIETNAMESE FISH SAUCE AND RICE NOODLES

by Leah Halmagyi

Ingredients

  • 1 brown onion, very finely diced
  • 2 sticks celery, very finely diced
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 6cm piece ginger, minced
  • 1 stick lemongrass, very finely chopped
  • ½ tsp ground Szechuan pepper
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 200g button mushrooms, very finely chopped
  • 500g pork mince
  • 2 Tbsp Vietnamese fish sauce
  • 2 tsp chilli-garlic sauce
  • 1 Tbsp coconut sugar, grated
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • flat rice noodles, grilled Tuscan kale and fried garlic, to serve

Instructions

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4-6

1 Fry the onion, celery, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and Szechuan pepper in a large heavy-based pan set over a moderate heat for 5 minutes, until aromatic. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking for a further 5 minutes, then set aside.
2 Pour the remaining oil into the saucepan, add the mince, then fry until well-browned. Return the vegetables to the saucepan along with the fish sauce, chilli-garlic sauce, sugar and stock. Simmer for 40-45 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Serve with rice noodles, kale and fried garlic.