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Egg Roll in a Bowl (Spring Roll Bowl) with Pork and Cabbage

All the flavour of a spring roll filling (egg roll in the US), without the wrapper or the deep-fryer: pork mince stir-fried with cabbage, carrot, garlic and ginger. One pan, 30 minutes, and only 10g of carbs a bowl.

Dinner

30

Serves 4

A bowl of stir-fried pork mince with shredded cabbage, carrot, ginger and spring onions, topped with sesame seeds

Ingredients

  • 500g/1lb 2oz lean pork mince (ground pork), 10% fat or less
  • 1 tsp neutral oil, for the pan
  • 3 cloves garlic (about 12g), finely chopped
  • A 4cm/1½in piece of fresh ginger (about 20g), finely grated
  • Half a medium white cabbage (about 500g/1lb 2oz), core removed, finely shredded
  • 2 medium carrots (about 150g/5oz), coarsely grated or cut into matchsticks
  • 6 spring onions (scallions, about 60g/2oz), sliced, white and green parts kept separate
  • 3 tbsp (45ml) reduced-salt tamari (labelled gluten-free), or reduced-salt soy sauce (not gluten-free)
  • 1 tbsp (15ml) rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp (5ml) toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp (8g) sesame seeds (buy ready-toasted, or toast in a dry pan for 2 minutes)
  • Chilli sauce, such as sriracha, or chilli flakes to serve, optional

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan or wok over a medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, with no pink left. If you have a thermometer, it should reach 75C/167F. Spoon off any excess fat.
  2. Add the garlic, ginger and the white parts of the spring onions and stir-fry for 1 minute, until fragrant.
  3. Add the cabbage and carrots, a couple of handfuls at a time if your pan is full, and stir-fry for 5 to 6 minutes, until the cabbage has wilted but still has some crunch.
  4. Stir in the tamari and rice vinegar and cook for 1 more minute, then take off the heat and stir through the sesame oil.
  5. Divide between 4 bowls and top with the green parts of the spring onions and the sesame seeds. Add chilli sauce or flakes if you like heat.
  6. Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 2 days; reheat until piping hot. It does not freeze well, as the cabbage turns soft.

Why it works

A bowl has about 28g of protein and only 10g of carbohydrate for 310 calories. A takeaway spring roll is wrapped in pastry and deep-fried; this keeps the filling, stir-fries it in one teaspoon of oil, and serves it as a meal.

Why it is tagged for blood sugar. With no rice, noodles or wrapper, most of the carbohydrate comes from the cabbage and carrots, along with their fibre. A meal like this is unlikely to cause a sharp rise in blood sugar. To make it more filling, serve it with a small portion of brown rice, which is not included in the figures.

Choose lean mince. Pork mince varies a lot, from about 5% fat to more than 20%. Look for 10% fat or less on the label, and spoon off any fat left in the pan. Turkey mince works too.

Cabbage is the bulk. Half a white cabbage between four people gives everyone a large portion of vegetables. It is cheap, keeps for weeks in the fridge and cooks in minutes. Fresh ginger and garlic carry the flavour.

Gluten-free only if you use tamari labelled gluten-free, as ordinary soy sauce contains wheat. For another pork dinner, try the pork tenderloin with apples and red cabbage, or for a lean poultry option, the turkey meatballs with courgetti.