Serves 4
Cook time: 30 minutes (longer if you’re cooking brown rice!)

Creamy Chili Crisp Tahini Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon chili crisp (just the crisp part, not the oil!), plus more to taste

Pork and Asparagus:

  • 1 bunch scallions (aka green onions), roots trimmed and discarded, both green and white parts thinly sliced, divided
  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil (such as avocado oil)
  • 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and grated (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
  • 1 pound ground pork (the higher in fat the better, if you have choices)
  • 1 bunch asparagus (about 1 pound), woody ends trimmed and discarded, 1/4-inch chopped, sliced on the diagonal
  • 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon chili crisp (just the crisp part, not the oil!), plus more to taste

For serving and garnish:

  • 1 1/2 cups dry white or brown rice, cooked per package directions
  • Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

First, start cooking 1 1/2 cups dry white or brown rice so that it’s ready when your pork is ready! We will all be using different kinds of rice (any rice or grain will do!), so follow the cooking instructions on the package you have. Once it’s ready, keep it covered to stay warm.

Once your rice is underway, make the Creamy Chili Crisp Tahini Sauce by combining 1/4 cup tahini, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, and 1 teaspoon chili crisp (just the crisp part, not the oil!) in a medium bowl. Add a splash of hot water, if needed, to achieve a drizzle-able consistency. Add more chili crisp, if desired, for more heat and flavor! Don’t put any of these ingredients away (except for the tahini, you can put that away!) — you’ll need them again soon.

Next, cook the Pork and Asparagus. Thinly slice 1 bunch scallions (we’re using both the white and green parts — only trim off and discard the dangly roots at the very bottom). Warm 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add all but a small pile (for garnish) of the sliced scallions and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until softened. Use a microplane or box grater to grate a peeled 2-inch piece fresh ginger and 3 peeled garlic cloves right into the skillet. Cook, stirring, for another 30 to 45 seconds.

Add 1 pound ground pork to the skillet and turn the heat up to medium-high. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, using a wooden spoon to break the pork apart into as small of pieces as possible. The pork will release liquid as it cooks — keep cooking and stirring until almost all of the liquid in the pan evaporates and the pork is almost entirely cooked through, with just a bit of pink remaining.

Trim 1 1/2 inches off the bottom of 1 bunch asparagus to get rid of the hard, fibrous ends. Discard those ends. Chop the trimmed asparagus into 1/4-inch pieces cut on the diagonal. Add the asparagus to the skillet. Stir for 1 minute, then stir in 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, and 1 teaspoon chili crisp (just the crisp part, not the oil!). Continue stirring until much of it has been absorbed, about 1 minute. Taste and adjust as needed to suit your taste buds! You can add more low-sodium soy sauce for salt, vinegar for tang, and/or chili crisp for heat!

Divide the rice and pork mixture between 4 bowls, or serve family style. Garnish bowls with the reserved sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Drizzle the Creamy Chili Crisp Tahini Sauce over top.

  • Tell me more about what I’m doing with the chili crisp: We are aiming to use mostly just the crunchy bits in the jar rather than the oil, which holds a ton of heat. When you scoop it out, angle your teaspoon to the side so that the oil can drip off. You don’t have to stress about this — there will be some oil clinging to the crunchy bits and that is fine! — I just don’t want you to use a teaspoon of straight up chili crisp oil.
  • Fave brands: No need to run out and buy a new jar, but next time you run out of tahini, for what it’s worth, I love Soom and the Whole Foods 365 brands best. For chili crisp, I love Red Clay and Fly by Jing.
  • Extra extra: Make coconut-ginger rice! And/or grab 1 large head green leaf or bibb/butter/Boston lettuce, separate and wash the leaves, and serve them with dinner so people have the option to make lettuce wraps.
  • Gimme more veg: Lots of ideas for this! A crunchy vegetable like shredded carrots or diced red bell pepper would be great as a topping for your bowls, if you have some in the fridge. You could also add chopped romaine to your bowls or make lettuce wraps with green leaf lettuce. Or stir some chopped spinach or cilantro into your pork mixture at the very end. Or swap the rice out for roasted sweet potatoes like we did in saucy pork and sweet potato bowls!
  • What to cook when you really don’t feel like cooking: Use microwaveable frozen rice and the powder subs (or pre-minced frozen cubes!) for the ginger and garlic.
  • Make ahead/love your leftovers/double it: This whole meal can be cooked ahead of time and reheated at mealtime. If you want to cook dinner and prep lunches for the week at the same time, double the pork mixture! Leftovers will stay good stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat in the microwave for an easy and delicious meal. You could serve it with leftover rice, stuff the filling into lettuce wraps, or wrap the pork, asparagus, and rice up in a tortilla for a fresh spin on things. Leftover rice and/or pork and asparagus can also be frozen in airtight zip-top bags. Thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat on the stove or in the microwave. Store your tahini sauce in an airtight container in the fridge to up to a week. If it’s too thick, stir in a splash of really warm water to loosen it up.
  • Feeding kids: Scroll back up to the “why I love bowl dinners” section above the recipe! I talk kid stuff there. Also, if you kids are very sensitive to spice, you can omit chili crisp from the recipe and add a little on top of adult bowls only.
  • Vegetarian: Use a plant-based ground meat substitute, a pound of chopped mushrooms, and/or crumbled tofu. For the latter, squeeze a block of extra-firm tofu over the sink to remove any excess moisture. Also over the sink, use your hands to crumble it, squeezing out even more moisture as you do so, and add the crumbled tofu to the warmed skillet with oil (use 2 tablespoons of oil instead of 1). Cook undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden on the bottom, then flip it and repeat. Use your spatula to break it into crumbles then add the asparagus followed by the other ingredients, cooking until mostly absorbed.
  • Dairy-free: Already is!
  • Gluten-free: Swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos and double check that your chili crisp is gluten-free (the brands I recommend above both are!).
  • Seed/sesame-free: Use peanut butter, a nut butter, or plain or Greek yogurt as a sub for tahini. Omit the sesame seed garnish. And double check that your chili crisp is seed-free (most are!).

  • Tahini: Peanut butter, almond, or another nut butter, though you may need to add more water to make it drizzle-able since it’s thicker. Swap for Greek or plain yogurt if you can’t do nuts or seeds!
  • Rice vinegar: Apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, lime juice, mirin (but you may want to cut back a little on the honey since mirin is sweet)
  • Low-sodium soy sauce: Coconut aminos, tamari, or shoyu
  • Honey: Maple syrup or agave will blend in best. You could omit if you want to avoid sugar, it’d still be great! Or you could use mirin rice wine in place of rice vinegar because it has some sweetness to it. Or use brown or white sugar but stir it into a little water to dilute or else it could be grainy.
  • Chili crisp: You could swap for another spicy element like sriracha, chili garlic sauce, sambal oelek, or gochujang. Start small and add more to taste based on your spice preference! You could also omit.
  • Scallions: A diced shallot or small yellow or red onion. Thinly sliced leeks or chives would be good, too.
  • Neutral oil: Any neutral oil! Sesame oil or coconut oil would be great, too.
  • Fresh ginger: 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger or 2 to 3 cubes of frozen pre-minced ginger. Omit if you’re in a bind.
  • Garlic: 1/2 teaspoon garlic (or onion) powder, 2 or 3 cubes of frozen crushed garlic, or omit in a pinch.
  • Ground pork: Any other ground meat (turkey, chicken, or beef) or one of the vegetarian options listed in the notes above. If you’re using a high-fat beef, you may want to drain some of the excess grease off after browning. If you’re using a really lean meat like ground chicken, add another tablespoon-ish of oil to the skillet.
  • Asparagus: Chopped green beans, zucchini, broccoli, bell peppers, cauliflower — pretty much any crunchy veg you love or have on hand.
  • Rice: I want you to dumpster dive in your pantry and use whatever rice you have! Brown or white, long or short, just cook it however the bag says. Note that brown rice takes closer to 45 minutes, while white rice will be done within 30 minutes. Or use frozen microwaveable rice to avoid using a pot. Or use roasted sweet potatoes as a starchy base instead. Or cauliflower rice!
  • Sesame seeds: Omit if needed.