Asian-style Pork Fillet with Garlic Rice & Ginger Broccoli

I saw this pork recipe somewhere online - unfortunately I can’t remember where so I can’t credit it but I’ve more than likely made a few changes to the original. You will notice that I forgot the peanut butter in the ingredients picture below which is a bit of a major omission considering that it is probably one of the most important ingredients in this dish. I used crunchy peanut butter but you could also use smooth.

Similarly I used grapefruit jam as that was what we had but I think that any preserve or jam would be fine to use as long as it was of the non red fruit variety. A bit of tartness would be best too I think.

Pork fillet (or tenderloin) is an excellent cut to get hold of: it is cheap and doesn’t take long to cook as well as staying fairly moist and tender. The only problem with the fillet is that you may buy a cut where you have to remove the silverskin (the tough grayish/white membrane that will not get tender during cooking). However I found a pretty cool online tutorial on how to do this easily which you can find here.

I think the rice and broccoli are pretty perfect accompaniments for this but feel free to have whatever you like with it.


Asian-style pork fillet
serves 2

300g piece pork fillet
3 tbsp grapefruit marmalade
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tsp (scant) ground coriander
3 tbsp soy sauce
¾ tbsp sesame oil
¾ tbsp rice wine vinegar
1½ tbsp peanut butter
½ lime, juiced
3 tbsp orange juice
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
¼ tsp ground black pepper
½ tbsp groundnut oil
½ tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

In a small bowl mix together the marmalade, garlic, coriander, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, peanut butter, lime juice, orange juice, crushed red pepper and black pepper.

Whisk well to combine, ensuring that the peanut butter has broken up.

Place the pork tenderloin in a freezer / sandwich bag and pour the marinade on top, making sure the fillet is totally covered.

Squeeze out the air, and seal the bag then place in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight if you can.

Preheat oven to 220C.

Heat the groundnut oil in an oven-proof pan or tin over a medium heat until shimmering. Add the pork tenderloin, and sear on all sides, until it’s nicely browned – about 7 minutes or so.

Place the tin into the preheated oven, and cook for about 15 minutes or until the juices run clear if the fillet is pierced with a sharp knife. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before slicing.

While the pork is in the oven, pour the marinade into a small saucepan. If it seems too thick, add a splash or orange juice or water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute, then turn off heat. Pour the sauce over the sliced fillet and sprinkle with a little chopped coriander.

Garlic Rice
serves 2
5g butter
1 tsp olive oil
2 clove garlic, crushed
100g jasmine rice
236ml chicken stock (twice the volume of the rice)
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp white pepper
squeeze of lime juice
½ tbsp coriander

Heat the butter and olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the rice and cook, stirring often so the rice doesn't stick to the pan, for 3-4 minutes.

Add the chicken broth and season with sea salt and white pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low. Cover and let cook 20 minutes.

Remove the rice from the heat without removing the lid and let it sit for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff rice with a fork, stir through the coriander and serve.


Ginger Broccoli
serves 2
½ tbsp oil
2 tsp ginger + garlic paste
250g broccoli florets
1 tbsp water (plus extra if needed)
½ tsp sesame oil
½ tsp fish sauce
salt
crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Heat the oil over high heat in a wok or sauté pan and add the ginger and garlic. Stir constantly, until very aromatic, about 20-30 seconds. Add the broccoli florets and toss to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, for about a minute.

Add the water, sesame oil and fish sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli has some charring and is tender but still with a little bite. If the sauce dries out before the broccoli is done, add occasional splashes of additional water as needed.

Taste and add salt if necessary. Remove to a serving plate and top with crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.