Sunday, April 4, 2010

Soy Glazed Pork with Rice and Asian Veggies

Soy Glazed Pork with Rice and Asian Veggies
Disclaimer: This is not my recipe. My notes are in italics.

1 1/2 cups of rice
8 oz. snow peas, trim off each ends
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers (ribs & seeds removed), thinly sliced - I used one red and one yellow since I bought that tri-color bell pepper pack
1 bunch of scallions, ends trimmed and cut into 3" lengths - I omitted these.
2 Tb. vegetable oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
Salt & pepper
1 pork tenderloin ( 1 - 1 1/4 pounds)
1/4 cup of honey

Cook rice according to package instructions. Meanwhile, heat broiler and set rack 4" from heat.

On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss snow peas, carrots, bell peppers and scallions with oil and 2 Tb. of soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Trim pork of silver skin and fat. Place on top of veggies and salt and pepper. Spread about 1 Tb. of honey over the pork. I didn't measure the honey, I just drizzled enough over the top to make sure it was well covered. Broil until pork and veggies begin to char, 6-8 minutes. I cooked it 8 minutes each time. Toss vegetables and turn pork. Drizzle with another 1 Tb. of honey. Cook another 6-8 minutes.

Toss vegetables again and continue to broil another 6-8 minutes until a meat thermometer, inserted in thickest part of pork, reads 145 degrees and vegetables are charred in spots. Remove from broiler. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together remaining 2 Tb. of soy sauce and 2 Tb. of honey. Thinly slice pork and serve with vegetables, rice and sauce.

I thought this dish might end up too salty with all the soy sauce. But the honey nicely balances it out with some sweetness. I really like the pork with the honey on it. It's not too sweet, but it definitely has a nice flavor to it. If you like it sweeter, add more honey! The veggies did end up a little bit soggy and the only vegetable that really got charred was the snow peas. I might even suggest only using 1 Tb. of oil with the soy sauce on the veggies. I was also afraid the vegetables might end up salty too, but the honey from the pork actually mixes in well with the vegetables while cooking.

This is a healthy meal that's easy to make. It took maybe 40 minutes total from prep to plate. And pork tenderloin is one of the healthiest cuts of meats out there. In the package, you usually get two tenderloins. So you could double the meat or put the other tenderloin in a freezer zip lock and save for later. If you save for later, I would suggest trimming the silver skin and fat off now so that it's ready to go for next time. (I meant to do that but forgot by time I already stuck it in the freezer.) But one tenderloin is usually good for Wes and me with a little bit of leftovers.

The meat really isn't that pink, it's the sauce that makes it look a little pinker than it really is.

The most intimidating part of this recipe maybe cooking the pork tenderloin if you've never cooked with it before. But this is a good introduction to it since there's not a lot that you have to do to the meat. Just trim it and stick it on the baking sheet.

Great and easy meal for a busy week. Happy cooking!

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