Fish-Fragrant Pork

Name: Fish-Fragrant Pork
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 27 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 12 oz pork loin or shoulder (cut into thin matchsticks); 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine; 1 tbsp cornstarch; 1 tsp light soy sauce; 1 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar; 1 tbsp sugar; 1 tbsp light soy sauce; 2 tsp cornstarch; 3 tbsp water or stock; 1 tbsp doubanjiang (chili-bean paste) (or pickled red chili, minced); ½ cup dried wood ear mushrooms (rehydrated and shredded); 1 carrot or ½ green bell pepper (julienned); 4 cloves garlic (minced); 1 inch ginger (minced); 3 scallions (sliced); 2 tbsp neutral oil

By The Chowmi Test KitchenUpdated June 4, 2026↓ Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Learn more.

🧪 Developed & tested by the The Chowmi Test Kitchen for US kitchens. How we develop our recipes.

Quick answer

Fish-fragrant pork (鱼香肉丝, yú xiāng ròu sī) is a Sichuan classic of finely shredded pork stir-fried with wood ear mushrooms and crisp vegetables in a glossy sauce that's sweet, sour, savory, and a little spicy — the same “fish-fragrant” (yu xiang) flavor used for the famous eggplant dish, and, despite the name, containing no fish at all. The flavor comes from pickled chili or doubanjiang plus a pre-mixed sauce of black vinegar, sugar, soy, and a cornstarch slurry, all balanced against lots of garlic, ginger, and scallion. The technique is fast: velvet the shredded pork so it stays tender, fry it hot, bloom the chili paste, then add the sauce and vegetables and toss until everything turns glossy in under a minute. It takes about 30 minutes, and getting the sweet-sour balance right is the whole game.

Sichuan fish-fragrant shredded pork with wood ear and peppers in a glossy sauce

Why you'll love this fish-fragrant pork

The same beloved sweet-sour-spicy “fish-fragrant” sauce as the eggplant — on tender pork.
Velveting keeps the shredded pork silky; the actual stir-fry takes about 4 minutes.
No fish, no fuss — and every hard-to-find ingredient has a US-grocery substitute.
A restaurant favorite (often menued as “pork with garlic sauce”) you can nail at home.

Ingredients

Pork & velvet

12 oz pork loin or shoulder, cut into thin matchsticks
1 tbsp Shaoxing winesubstitutes →
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp light soy sauce

Yu-xiang sauce

1 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegarsubstitutes →
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
3 tbsp water or stock

Stir-fry

1 tbsp doubanjiang (chili-bean paste), or pickled red chili, mincedsubstitutes →
½ cup dried wood ear mushrooms, rehydrated and shreddedhard to find
1 carrot or ½ green bell pepper, julienned
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, minced
3 scallions, sliced
2 tbsp neutral oil

Missing an ingredient?

Tell us what you have and what you're making — get the best US-grocery swap, with ratios.

Hard-to-find ingredients, delivered

Stock the pantry once and you can cook this anytime: Shaoxing wine, Chinkiang black vinegar, doubanjiang, dried wood ear mushrooms. Asian groceries deliver nationwide.

Shop on Weee! →Shop on Yamibuy →Find on Amazon →(affiliate)

Equipment

Wok or large skillet(shop →)

Instructions

Toss the shredded pork with the Shaoxing wine, cornstarch, and soy sauce and let it sit 15 minutes. This velveting keeps the thin pork tender through a fast, hot stir-fry.
💡 Slice the pork into even matchsticks — freezing it 20 minutes first makes thin, clean cuts much easier.
Stir the yu-xiang sauce ingredients together until the sugar and cornstarch dissolve. Have the garlic, ginger, scallions, and vegetables prepped — this dish cooks fast.
Heat the oil in a wok over high. Add the pork, spread it out, and stir-fry until it loses its pink and just separates, about 2 minutes. Push to one side.
Lower to medium, add the doubanjiang (or pickled chili) to the oil, and stir 30 seconds until the oil turns red. Add the garlic, ginger, and scallion whites and stir until fragrant.
💡 Keep the heat moderate when the chili paste goes in — it scorches fast and turns bitter.
Add the wood ear and carrot/pepper and toss 1 minute. Re-stir the sauce, pour it in, and toss everything until it thickens to a glossy coat, under a minute.
Stir in the scallion greens and serve immediately over rice.

Tips & notes

“Fish-fragrant” (鱼香) has no fish — it's a Sichuan seasoning style (sweet, sour, savory, spicy) originally used for fish. The balance of vinegar, sugar, and chili is what defines it; taste the sauce before cooking and adjust.
Traditional yu-xiang uses pickled red chili (paojiao). Doubanjiang is the easiest US-grocery stand-in and gives a similar savory heat — see our doubanjiang substitute guide.
Wood ear mushrooms add the classic crunch; if you can't find them, thinly sliced fresh shiitake or extra bell pepper keeps the texture interesting.
Cut everything into matchsticks of similar size — yu xiang rou si is about uniform shreds that cook evenly and tangle together.

Recipe wording too vague?

Paste any fuzzy step (少许, 火候正好, 焯水) and get exact amounts, temps and times.

Recipe

Fish-Fragrant Pork

New recipe

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 12 min
Total: 27 min
Serves: 4
Level: Intermediate

Ingredients

Pork & velvet

12 oz pork loin or shoulder, cut into thin matchsticks
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp light soy sauce

Yu-xiang sauce

1 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
3 tbsp water or stock

Stir-fry

1 tbsp doubanjiang (chili-bean paste), or pickled red chili, minced
½ cup dried wood ear mushrooms, rehydrated and shredded
1 carrot or ½ green bell pepper, julienned
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, minced
3 scallions, sliced
2 tbsp neutral oil

Instructions

Toss the shredded pork with the Shaoxing wine, cornstarch, and soy sauce and let it sit 15 minutes. This velveting keeps the thin pork tender through a fast, hot stir-fry.
Stir the yu-xiang sauce ingredients together until the sugar and cornstarch dissolve. Have the garlic, ginger, scallions, and vegetables prepped — this dish cooks fast.
Heat the oil in a wok over high. Add the pork, spread it out, and stir-fry until it loses its pink and just separates, about 2 minutes. Push to one side.
Lower to medium, add the doubanjiang (or pickled chili) to the oil, and stir 30 seconds until the oil turns red. Add the garlic, ginger, and scallion whites and stir until fragrant.
Add the wood ear and carrot/pepper and toss 1 minute. Re-stir the sauce, pour it in, and toss everything until it thickens to a glossy coat, under a minute.
Stir in the scallion greens and serve immediately over rice.

Nutrition (est., per serving): 300 cal · 20 g protein · 14 g carbs · 18 g fat

Fish-Fragrant Pork FAQ

Does fish-fragrant pork actually contain fish?

No. “Fish-fragrant” (yu xiang) is a Sichuan flavor profile — sweet, sour, savory, and spicy — that was traditionally used to cook fish, so the seasoning took the name. The dish itself has no fish or seafood. It's the same flavor as fish-fragrant eggplant.

What cut of pork is best for fish-fragrant pork?

A lean but tender cut like pork loin or shoulder, sliced into thin matchsticks. Velveting it in cornstarch and Shaoxing keeps it silky. Avoid very lean tenderloin if you can — shoulder has a bit more fat and stays juicier.

What can I use instead of doubanjiang or pickled chili?

Traditional yu-xiang uses Sichuan pickled chili (paojiao); doubanjiang is the easiest substitute and gives a similar savory heat. If you have neither, see our doubanjiang substitute guide — Korean gochujang with a little miso works for one batch.

Is fish-fragrant pork spicy?

It's mildly spicy and very adjustable — most of the character is the sweet-sour-savory balance, not heat. Use less doubanjiang or pickled chili for a milder version; the garlic, ginger, and vinegar still make it sing.

Is this the same as “pork with garlic sauce”?

Yes — “pork with garlic sauce” on many American Chinese menus is this dish (or a close cousin). The “garlic sauce” is the yu-xiang sauce: garlic-forward, sweet, sour, savory, and a little spicy.