Asian Pork Tenderloin Skewers {recipe}

About that recipe I promised you…

How good do these pork skewers look?

I tend to shy away from Asian cooking.  Usually, it’s because the recipe calls for lots of ingredients I don’t have on hand (rice vinegar, sesame oil, fish sauce?  oyster sauce??).  The long recipes and foreign (no pun intended) techniques are intimidating!  Last year, in a short-lived wave of cooking confidence, I bought a wok at Ikea, and I’ve used it a whopping two times.

This particular recipe is a baby step into Asian cuisine:  it uses only two of the aforementioned new-to-me ingredients and a super simple cooking process.  Plus, I’ve had such strong cravings for Asian food lately that it felt like kismet-on-a-stick.

The original recipe comes from Bobby Flay and includes a citrus dipping sauce.  If you aren’t a huge fan of lime, skip the sauce–the pork is plenty flavorful without it.  Serve with steamed veggies, rice, egg rolls, and three fortune cookies per person.

Asian Pork Tenderloin Skewers

Slightly adapted from Bobby Flay’s Grilled Pork Skewers with Chile Sauce

Serves 4-6

• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce*
• 1/4 cup oyster sauce
• 3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1.5 lbs pork tenderloin (or thick-cut pork loin chops) cut into 16 pieces
• Wooden skewers
• Olive oil

Combine all ingredients, except pork and olive oil, in a baking dish (a square 8×8 works well for this).  The marinade will be thick and syrupy.  Reserve a 1/4 cup of the marinade for basting.  Skewer each piece of pork, then arrange in the bottom of the baking dish and toss to coat with the marinade.  Cover and refrigerate for 1-4 hours, turning the meat occasionally.

Remove meat from fridge, and set aside while you preheat your grill, grill pan, or large skillet over medium high heat.  If using a grill pan or skillet, lightly coat the bottom with olive oil.  Cook the pork for 3-4 minutes per side (depending on the thickness).  Lightly baste cooked pork with reserved marinade.  Garnish with fresh cilantro.

*Be sure to use low-sodium soy sauce or else this dish will be overwhelmingly salty.