Tangy Asian Tenderloin

So remember when I wrote about the Tangy Asian Chicken Thighs that I just could not stop eating? No? Ok well look back here.

I knew when I created the marinade that it would be brilliant on pork as well, and last night I tested my theory. And I was right. SO good.
And the same proportions used on 6 chicken thighs worked on one 1.25 pound tenderloin.
3 TBSP honey
2 1/2 TBSP soy sauce
3 cloves of garlic, grated
2 inches of fresh ginger, grated

For my basic How To on cooking a pork tenderloin, see here.

Step one: marinate a few hrs in the fridge. 

Looks kinda gross, I know, but it will be so tasty in the end.

Take the meat out of the fridge and LET IT COME TO ROOM TEMPERATURE. 

Preheat your oven to 400º and set your pan to medium heat w/ just enough olive oil that your meat won't stick. I was using a non-stick pan, so I only used a small drizzle.

Slapdash photo, I know.

Cook on the first side seven minutes.

Then flip and place pan in the oven for another seven minutes.

Remove from pan and let rest, and place the leftover marinade in the hot pan to reduce to a delicious sauce. Remember to cover the pot handle with something, as that sucker has been in a 400º oven.

Super crap photo. Apologies.

Just like last time I served this with some seasoned quinoa, and roasted a mix of broccoli and cauliflower, because that's what I had goin' on in my fridge.

For the quinoa (keen-wah): follow package instructions, and when it is done but still in the hot pan, I sprinkle in some kosher salt and good olive oil. For this meal, I also mixed about a tablespoon of honey with a tablespoon of soy sauce, and poured that mixture over the hot quinoa and stirred well to combine. That made it so the quinoa also had a sweet and tangy flavor that tied it into the meal, but not the ginger/garlic bite that the pork had.

For the mixed veg: cut up your stalks into medium sized florets, drizzle with olive oil and salt, and roast in a 400-425º oven for 20 minutes. Done.

I don't know if this is like the time I was ordering spring rolls from the local Thai place 2-3 times a week for a solid month before OD-ing on them, but I cannot get enough of this marinade at the moment.

And the leftover pork would make a killer sandwich... maybe a panini on ciabatta with some extra sauce and some grilled eggplant. Hmmm... will have to look into that in the future ;)

Q&A

In response to a comment on my last recipe - an explanation on what I mean when I write "two inches of fresh ginger, grated" etc...

When you buy fresh ginger, it looks like the knobby alien structure above. Not exactly easy to work with.

So, when I get it home, I break the whole structure down into roughly 1inch square chunks, or the size of a very large clove of garlic. You don't want to make the pieces too small because remember you'll have to hold on to it while grating it later.

Clearly images are not of what I actually do, but a decent visual guide.

Some people will say you can peel ginger with a spoon, others a regular peeler, but I just use the knife I'm chopping it up with. Use whatever method you are comfortable with.

Finally, once I have a pile of peeled ginger nuggets, I double-Ziploc-bag them and store them in the freezer (label the bag!) so the ginger lasts for months and is even easier to grate when removed frozen.

Hope that helps!

Also, for those who like ginger tea or suffer from nausea, you can easily remove one of your frozen pieces, slice it into finer discs, and simply add them to hot water for a tummy-soothing (and sinus-clearing) brew. It is also said that fresh ginger can help ward off the worst of your pollen-allergies, tho I don't know if that is from the sharpness of scent or an internal, metabolic reaction.

Try it out!