Slow Cooker Asian Pork with Mushrooms Recipe

Boneless pork roast slow cooked in Asian spices becomes an aromatic, comforting dish with mushrooms and a savory broth. Serve it over rice or noodles and finish with fresh chopped scallions, cilantro and a drizzle of sriracha for heat.

Crock Pot Asian Pork with Mushrooms

This recipe is excellent served over cilantro-lime cauliflower rice, brown rice, rice noodles, soba or buckwheat noodles. It reheats beautifully and makes great leftovers for lunches or a second dinner.

I’ve grown to love the slow cooker for hands-off, deeply flavored meals—once you understand a few basic techniques. Slow-cooked food can taste milder than stovetop dishes, so I season boldly and often adjust seasoning at the end. Add fresh herbs at the very end to keep their bright flavor. Be sure to sear the pork first to develop a richer flavor; that step makes a big difference. If you want to prepare ahead, you can combine everything in the crock pot insert, refrigerate overnight and start cooking in the morning.

This recipe yields a generous amount. The first night we had it over rice noodles; the next night I reheated the pork with some of the broth, stirred in handfuls of baby spinach until wilted, and served it over rice — my family loved it. Next time I’ll try finishing the dish with chopped carrots, baby corn, or bok choy for extra vegetables.

Ingredient notes: I buy hot sesame oil (aji oil) when I can, which is sesame oil infused with cayenne. If you don’t have spicy sesame oil, use regular sesame oil and add a pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes. Chinese five spice is a warm blend of star anise, cinnamon, cloves, fennel/anise and ginger and adds depth to Asian-style marinades and braises.

I still find the slow cooker indispensable even though I also use an electric pressure cooker from time to time. A good programmable slow cooker that switches to warm when finished and offers a meat probe is worth considering if you plan to cook large roasts regularly.

Boneless pork roast slow cooked in Asian spices creates an aromatic pork dish with mushrooms and broth, perfect over noodles or rice with fresh chopped green onions, cilantro and sriracha.

Crock Pot Asian Pork with Mushrooms

Boneless pork roast slow cooked in Asian spices makes a tender, flavorful main course with mushrooms and a rich broth—perfect over noodles or rice and garnished with fresh scallions and cilantro. Add sriracha for a spicy finish if you like.

Details

Yield: 7 servings (about 3 oz pork + mushrooms per serving)

Prep: 20 mins • Cook: 8 hrs • Total: 8 hrs 20 mins

Ingredients

2 lb lean boneless pork sirloin roast (aka pork center rib roast or pork center loin roast)
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Non-stick oil spray (or a light brush of oil for searing)
1 cup low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce (or gluten-free tamari)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp agave nectar or sugar
1 tsp hot sesame oil (aji oil) or regular sesame oil plus a pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger root
8 oz sliced mushrooms (baby bella or cremini work well)

For topping

1/4 cup chopped scallions (green onions)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Sriracha or preferred hot sauce, to taste

Instructions

Season the pork all over with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, spray lightly with oil and brown the pork on all sides, about 7–8 minutes total. This develops flavor and color—don’t skip it.
In the slow cooker, whisk together the chicken broth, soy sauce or tamari, balsamic vinegar, agave or sugar, sesame oil, Chinese five spice, crushed garlic and grated ginger. Add the seared pork to the liquid.
Set the slow cooker on low and cook for 8 hours.
About 30 minutes before the end of cooking, remove the pork and set it aside to rest a few minutes while you add the mushrooms to the crock pot. Cover and continue cooking on low for 30 minutes to tenderize the mushrooms.
Shred the pork with two forks while it rests.
If the mushrooms released a lot of liquid, reserve about 1 cup of the broth first if you want to control sauciness. Add the shredded pork back into the crock pot and stir to combine with the mushrooms and sauce.
If you plan to add baby spinach or quick-cooking greens, stir them in at the very end and cover until they just wilt.
Serve the pork and mushrooms over rice or noodles and top with chopped scallions, cilantro and sriracha to taste.

Notes & Tips

Slow-cooked dishes can taste milder than stove-top recipes, so taste the sauce at the end and adjust salt, soy sauce or a splash of vinegar as needed.
Fresh herbs should be added right before serving to preserve their flavor and color.
This makes excellent leftovers—reheat gently on the stove and add a handful of greens for a second meal.
For more vegetables, add chopped carrots, baby corn or bok choy in the last 15–20 minutes of cooking so they retain texture.
If you don’t have hot sesame oil, use regular sesame oil and add a pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes to bring heat.

Nutrition (per serving)

Serving: 3 oz pork + mushrooms • Calories: 224 kcal • Carbohydrates: 11 g • Protein: 25 g • Fat: 8.5 g • Saturated Fat: 0.5 g • Cholesterol: 79 mg • Sodium: 854 mg • Fiber: 0.5 g • Sugar: 7.5 g