TENDER PORK LOIN
A foolproof Thai recipe
I have long believed that, if you want a great recipe, you’re more likely to get it from another home cook than a chef.
Not that chefs aren’t great cooks, of course. It’s just that they’re often not so good at translating their ideas and actions into the written word.
The story behind this recipe is a case in point. Reader Denise Van Herk pointed out that a published pork recipe from a chef was an utter disaster — the chef had inadvertently included enough salt for a dish to serve hundreds in a recipe otherwise scaled down for a family.
Van Herk decided to share her own favourite recipe for pork, perfected over the years. It’s easy to make, foolproof, and clean up is a snap.
Add some sautéed snow peas and roast potatoes or jasmine rice (or coconut ginger rice from a box, Van Herk suggests) and you’ll have a disaster-free meal in minutes.
THAI PORK TENDERLOINS WITH PEANUT SAUCE
Preparation time: about 45 minutes ( but 4-24 hours marinating)
Makes: 6 servings ■ 2 pork tenderloins
■ 2 cloves garlic, minced
■ 2 tsp (10 mL) grated ginger root
■ ¼ cup (60 mL) chopped cilantro
■ 1 tbsp. (15 mL) brown sugar
■ 1 tsp (5 mL) Tabasco sauce
■ ¼ cup (60 mL) fresh-squeezed
■ lime juice 2 tbsp. (30 mL) soy sauce
■ 2 tbsp. (30 mL) natural peanut butter
■ ½ cup (125 mL) chicken stock
1. Place the tenderloins in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag.
2. In a small bowl or mini food processor, combine garlic, ginger, cilantro, sugar, Tabasco, lime juice, soy sauce and peanut butter. Pour mixture into the bag with pork. Seal the bag and squish around until pork is well coated. Place bag in a dish (in case of leaks) and refrigerate for 4-24 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). Line a baking pan and sides with foil. Remove tenderloins from the bag, reserving marinade, and place in foil-lined pan. Roast for 35 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, put reserved marinade in a small saucepan with chicken stock. Boil gently for about 5 minutes to make a sauce. Baste tenderloins with some of the sauce halfway through cooking time, reserving the rest.
5. Once the tenderloins are cooked, stir any pan juices into the sauce. Let the tenderloins sit for 5 minutes, then serve sliced and with the sauce spooned over.