Spice things up with this five-spice stir-fried pork

The exciting flavors of Chinese cuisine are captured in this five-spice stir-fried pork. Five-spice powder is a mixture of five ground spices usually consisting of cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise and Szechuan peppercorns. It gives a pungent, aromatic flavor to this quick dish. It can be found in the spice section of the supermarket. You only need a little for this recipe, but I like to keep it on hand to sprinkle on cooked vegetables, over rice or in salad dressings to create an Asian touch.

Chinese recipes need a few extra minutes to assemble the ingredients, but take only a few minutes to cook. This stir-fry dinner is ready in less than 10 minutes.

Fred Tasker’s wine suggestion: Spicy pork would go nicely with a lush white viognier.

Five Spice Pork And Rice Stir-Fry

Yield 2 servings

Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

1 package microwaveable brown rice (1½-cups cooked)

Salt and black pepper

¼ cup, fat-free, low-salt chicken broth

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

3 medium garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon canola oil

¾ pound pork tenderloin, cut into ½-inch cubes or stir-fry pork

1 cup sliced onion

1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced (about 1 cup)

1 tablespoon flour

2 tablespoons slivered almonds

Cook brown rice in the microwave according to package instructions. Remove and measure 1½ cups cooked rice. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Mix chicken broth, rice vinegar, Chinese five-spice powder, garlic and soy sauce together. Set aside. Heat oil in a wok or nonstick skillet over high heat. Add pork and onion and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add red bell pepper and continue to stir-fry 1 minute. Sprinkle flour over ingredients and toss. Add sauce to wok and toss 2 minutes. Remove to a bowl. Add rice to wok and toss 1 minute. Divide rice between 2 dinner plates and spoon pork and sauce over rice. Sprinkle almonds on top.

Per serving: 533 calories (29 percent from fat), 17 g fat (2.4 g saturated, 9.3 g monounsaturated), 108 mg cholesterol, 44.6 g protein, 49.1 g carbohydrates, 5.9 g fiber, 381 mg sodium.