Caramelized Pork with Rice
Caramelized pork with rice is slow-cooked on the stove top, along with onions and plenty of Asian-inspired seasonings to make a hearty dinner, along with plenty of leftovers.

Until I really started exploring some Asian recipes during the pandemic, the ginger in my spice cabinet was pretty much only for baking sweets.

If you would have asked me, I would have said it was there merely for projects like pumpkin bread and ginger snaps.

Boy, was I missing out on an entire, delicious genre of ginger-filled recipes.

I was thinking about that recently when I made this week’s recipe for some delicious, Asian-inspired pork.

This comes from the blog “Berry & Maple.” You can find the original post at https://berrymaple.com/sweet-caramelized-pork-rice/. I added extra onion and soy sauce and added more seasonings in my version.

Caramelized Pork with Rice
Print Recipe

Caramelized Pork with Rice

Caramelized pork with rice is slow-cooked on the stove top, along with onions and plenty of Asian-inspired seasonings to make a hearty dinner, along with plenty of leftovers.
Course: Main Course
Keyword: brown sugar, dried ginger, fish sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, pork butt, pork shoulder, rice, soy sauce, white onion, white rice, yellow onion

Ingredients

  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small yellow or white onion diced
  • 2 pounds pork butt cut into one-inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 4 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons dried ginger
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • prepared white rice and sesame seeds for serving

Instructions

  • Heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.
  • Add the onions and saute until they are almost cooked through.
  • Add more oil, if necessary, and saute the pork in batches until it’s browned on all sides.
  • Add one cup of water to the skillet, along with the onion, pork, brown sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder, dried ginger and onion powder. Stir to combine well.
  • Bring the mixture to a low boil, and then let the mixture simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring regularly, until the sauce reduces and becomes thick. Give it a taste, and add salt and pepper, if needed.
  • Serve the pork over white rice and topped with some sesame seeds.

In the past, I would have never thought to add ginger to a recipe like this, but it adds a lot of great flavor, so I highly recommend it.

It’s amazing how many applications different spices have, especially ones like ginger, cinnamon or even cayenne, when it comes to both sweet and savory dishes.

Something I take pride in is continuing to explore the entire grocery store aisle of herbs and spices. The good news is I don’t think I’ll ever get bored or actually conquer them all.

The better news is there’s always good old ginger snaps to come back to, as well.

This piece first appeared in print May 21, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.