Curry Pork Stir-Fry with Capsicum is not a dish with a thick curry gravy, but it has a very good curry flavour. Although the name of the dish starts with Curry Pork Stir-Fry, the capsicum is actually the star of this dish. I think this is one of the best ways to eat a lot of capsicum.
Curry flavoured pork mince acts as a seasoning for the sautéed capsicum, giving just the right balance of flavours.
The way I use curry powder to give a curry flavour to the dish is similar to my Japanese Dry Curry Recipe, but I use far less seasoning I use in today’s recipe.
Unlike my other stir-fry with capsicum, Miso Stir Fry with Eggplant, Capsicum and Pork, today’s dish does not have a typical Japanese flavour. The main flavour is curry and salt, but a small amount of soy sauce added to the stir-fry gives a Japanese touch to the dish.
I came up with this dish because I had 300g/0.7lb of pork mince leftover from my last post, Simmered Stuffed Aburaage (Shinoda-ni). If you buy pork mice at supermarkets, it always comes as a 500g/1.1lb pack or 1kg/2.2lb pack. I only needed 200g/7.1oz of pork mince in my aburaage dish, so I had more than half of the pack leftover. It needed to be used because pork mince does not keep very long.
About Capsicum in Japan
I saw a similar recipe to my Curry Pork Stir-Fry with Capsicum on some Japanese websites. The recipes naturally use Japanese capsicums. Capsicums in Australia and those in Japan are so different that I thought it would be good to talk about them.
Japanese capsicum is called ‘pīman’ (ピーマン). It is said that the name came from either the French word for chilli, ‘piment’ or the Portuguese word for bell peppers, ‘pimento’.
Pīman is very small compared to the Australian capsicum. The weight of a pīman is only 30-40g/1.1-1.4oz, compared to the Australian capsicum which weighs 150g/5.3oz or even more. You can see how small pīman is in the photo below (note that even the red & yellow Aussie-style capsicims in the photo are much smaller than those I get in Australia).
Pīman is harvested while the capsicum is still very young, and the flesh is very thin. It is only about 7cm/2¾” long and 5cm/2″ wide. So, you need to use quite a lot of Japanese capsicums to make today’s dish.
In Japan you can also buy capsicums similar to those you get in Australia, including red and yellow capsicums. They are called ‘papurika’ (パプリカ, paprika) in Japan to distinguish them from Japanese capsicum, pīman. But paprika in Australia is a spice, so it is very confusing to me!
What’s in My Curry Pork Stir-fry with Capsicum
- Pork mince (or chicken mince)
- Capsicum, cut into bite-size pieces
- Oil to stir-fry
- Minced garlic and ginger.
I used 2 x medium-size capsicums, which weighed about 350g after removing the stems and deseeding. In Japan, capsicums are tiny and the flesh is very thin and tender. If you are using Japanese-style capsicums, you will need many more capsicums.
Curry Flavouring
- Curry powder
- Salt
- Soy sauce
- Black pepper.
I used Keen’s Curry Powder from the local supermarket.
How to Make Curry Pork Stir-fry with Capsicum
The process is threefold: Sauté the capsicum, cook the mince, then mix. It is very simple and quick to cook.
- Heat oil and sauté the capsicum in a frying pan until the capsicum pieces are blistered. Transfer the capsicum to a plate.
- Put the garlic, ginger, and mince into the frying pan.
- Cook until the mince is almost cooked through.
- Add the Curry Flavouring ingredients to the pan and mix well.
- Return the capsicum pieces to the pan and mix.
- Serve while hot.
Curry Pork Stir-Fry with Capsicum is a very quick and easy stir-fry. Preparation of ingredients takes no more than 5 minutes and cooking time is no more than 10 minutes. You will have a tasty dish in 15 minutes!
It goes very well with rice, but it is so tasty that I can eat it by itself. The dish can be served as a main with rice or a side dish. I hope you try it.
Yumiko
The star of Curry Pork Stir-Fry with Capsicum is not pork mince but capsicum. It is not a dish with a curry sauce but it has a very good curry flavour. I think this is one of the best ways to eat a lot of capsicum.
Don't forget to see the section 'MEAL IDEAS' below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted and this recipe that can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.
- 350g/0.8lb capsicum cut into bite-size pieces (note 1)
- 200g/7.1oz pork mince (can be chicken mince)
- 1 tsp garlic finely chopped
- 1 tsp ginger finely chopped
- 2 tsp oil
- 2 tsp curry powder (note 2)
- 1/3 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp soy sauce
- A pinch of black pepper
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Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a frying pan over high heat.
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Put the capsicum into the pan and sauté for a few minutes until the capsicum pieces start blistering and are slightly browned (note 3).
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Transfer the capsicum to a plate.
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Reduce the heat to medium high and add 1 teaspoon of oil to the pan.
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Add garlic, ginger, and mince to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes breaking the mince up as you go.
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When mince becomes whitish, add the Curry Flavouring ingredients to the pan and mix well, ensuring that the mince is evenly stained yellow.
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Return the capsicum to the pan and mix well for about 20-30 seconds.
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Turn the heat off and serve immediately.
1. I used 2 medium-sized capsicums. Halve the capsicums vertically and remove the stem and seeds. Quarter the half capsicum vertically, then cut each strip into 2-3 pieces (I sometimes cut them diagonally).
If you are using Japanese capsicum, you will need many more of them because it’s much smaller than the Aussie capsicum (see the post that talks about capsicum in Japan).
2. I used Keen’s curry powder.
3. It is easier to cook the capsicum pieces evenly if you shake the frying pan and toss the capsicum pieces.
4. Do not overcook capsicum pieces. It is best to keep the capsicum crunchy.
5. You can keep the dish in the fridge for a couple of days, but the colour of the capsicum fades and lose the bright green colour.
6. Nutrition per serving.
serving: 286g calories: 384kcal fat: 27g (35%) saturated fat: 8.2g (41%) trans fat: 0.0g polyunsaturated fat: 3g monounsaturated fat: 13g cholesterol: 72mg (24%) sodium: 490mg (21%) carbohydrates: 18g (7%) dietary fibre: 3.8g (14%) sugar: 9g protein: 21g vitamin D: 0mcg (0%) calcium: 59mg (5%) iron: 3.4mg (19%) potassium: 919mg (20%)
Meal Ideas
A typical Japanese meal consists of a main dish, a couple of side dishes, a soup and rice. I try to come up with a combination of dishes with a variety of flavours, colours, textures and make-ahead dishes.
I think this curry flavoured main dish goes well with Japanese Potato Salad. The spiciness of the curry reduces with the potato. Since the main dish is not a high calorie dish, you needn’t worry about adding potato to the meal. Instead of potato salad, pasta salad goes well too.
Another side dish should be pickled vegetables, and I picked a sweet vinegary dish for that. For the soup, dried tofu skin soup – either miso soup or clear soup – would be great.
- Main: Curry Pork Stir-fry with Capsicum – today’s recipe.
- Side dish 1: Japanese Potato Salad – or Japanese Pasta Salad (Spaghetti Salad).
- Side dish 2: Sweet and Sour Pickled Red Cabbage – or Pickled Carrot and Daikon Recipe (Kōhaku Namasu), Pickled Chrysanthemum Radish, etc.
- Soup: Dried Tofu Skin Soup Two Ways – either miso soup or clear soup is fine.
- Rice: Cooked Rice.
Mama Bear
I made this last night for myself and MOTH. OMG how simplistic and quick it was to make. The flavors were bold and so delicious. It amazes me that so few ingredients can make such a delicious and wholesome meal. I just added some peas.
Hi Barb, I am glad you liked it!
Hello YUMIKO:
This recipe looks very tasty. Do you have any suggestions or instruction for making pork or chicken mince at home? Also any suggestions for the kind or cut of pork to use? I am looking forward to trying your recipe but cannot find pork (or chicken) mince in my local stores.
Thank you,
Gordon Ensign, Olympia, WA, USA
Hi Gordon, you can make mince with your knife. Cur the meat into small pieces, then use a cleaver or a heavy knife (the straight blade is better) to hack at them.
For today’s pork, thinly sliced pork pieces will work OK too. Use any cut of pork except the stewing meat.