What to use instead of ground pork
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Fat and tenderness in meatballs, dumplings and sausage
Pork mince runs 20 to 30 percent fat that melts at a low temperature and stays soft once cooked, which is why the filling still tastes juicy after it is cooked through.
Ground chicken thighRan out
1:1 by weight, plus 1 tbsp oil per 500 g
Leaner and milder, and it sets firmer and drier. Add the oil or the dumplings squeak.
Ground turkey thighRan out
1:1 by weight, plus 1 tbsp oil per 500 g
Darker and a little gamey, and it holds moisture better than turkey breast. Season harder than you would pork.
80/20 ground beefRan out
1:1 by weight
Much stronger flavour that takes over a delicate filling, and the fat sets waxy as it cools. Firmer bite.
Ground lambRan out
1:1 by weight
Similar fat level so the texture holds up, but the flavour dominates. Good in kofta, wrong in a gyoza.
What doesn't work: Ground chicken or turkey breast. At around 2 percent fat there is nothing to melt, so meatballs come out chalky and dumpling filling turns to a dry crumb no matter how gently you cook it.
Meaty bulk through a stir-fry, ragu or filling
Browned mince gives small savoury pieces scattered through the sauce, and the fat it renders carries the spice through the dish.
Firm tofu, pressed and crumbledPlant-based
1:1 by weight, plus 2 tbsp oil
Only browns if the surface is dry and the pan is hot, and it soaks up sauce faster than meat does. No render, so the oil has to come from the bottle.
Mushrooms chopped fine and browned hardPlant-based
1:1 by weight
They release a lot of water first, so cook that off before anything else goes in. Deeply savoury with no chew at all.
Tempeh, crumbledPlant-based
1:1 by weight
Firmer and nuttier than tofu and it keeps its texture in a wet sauce. Steam it for 10 minutes first to take out the bitterness.
Cooked brown or green lentilsPlant-based
1:1 by volume against browned mince
Soft rather than chewy, and they drink up the sauce, so add 1/4 cup more liquid. They will not brown.
What doesn't work: Textured soy protein rehydrated in plain water. It swells to a spongy, cardboard texture and stays that way. It only reads as meat if it is rehydrated in salty, fatty stock and then browned.