Sticky Soy & Ginger Pork Rice Bowls

Ingredients

• 500 g pork mince
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 15 g fresh ginger, finely grated
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 x 250g pre-cooked jasmine rice pouches
• 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• Pickled cucumber, to serve
• Fresh coriander, to serve

Method

1. Whisk the soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey and rice vinegar together in a small bowl until the honey dissolves into a glossy glaze. Set it within arm's reach of the hob — once the pork is in, things move fast.
2. Season the pork mince with a pinch of salt and a good crack of pepper. The soy will carry most of the seasoning later, but salting the meat now means it browns properly rather than stewing in its own moisture.
3. Get a wide frying pan or wok screaming hot over maximum heat. Add the vegetable oil, swirl it round, then tip in the pork mince in a single layer and press it flat across the base. Don't crowd the pan — if your pan is on the smaller side, do this in two batches. All at once and the pan crowds, water comes out, and you've boiled the meat instead of browning it. Leave it well alone for 2–3 minutes — you want a deep, crispy crust forming underneath, so resist the urge to stir.
4. Break the pork apart and stir-fry for another 2 minutes, letting it catch and crisp at the edges until cooked through with golden, craggy bits throughout.
5. Drop the heat to medium. Add the grated garlic and ginger and stir-fry just until fragrant — 30 seconds, no more. Burnt garlic turns the whole dish bitter, and at this heat it's a real risk.
6. Pour the glaze down the side of the hot pan so it hits the metal and starts bubbling immediately. Toss everything together for about 30 seconds, scraping up any sticky bits from the base, until the pork is lacquered, glossy and mahogany. Drizzle in the sesame oil and give one final toss off the heat. Taste a piece — most of the salt comes from the soy and oyster, but if it needs a final pinch, add it now, not at the table.
7. Meanwhile, heat the rice pouches according to the pack and fluff with a fork.
8. Build the bowls: a generous mound of rice, the sticky pork piled on top. Scatter with spring onions, toasted sesame seeds and chilli flakes, and tuck a lime wedge into the side for everyone to squeeze over — the lime juice cuts through the sweet-savoury glaze and lifts the whole bowl.