Asian Pork with Napa Cabbage & Carrot Slaw

My in laws were in town this weekend. So, I decided to cook a Asian style Pork dish with Napa Cabbage and Carrot Slaw recipe from one of my older Fine Cooking Magazines (with some modifications). I guess this dish is more of a asian fusion dish. Normally I would make the pork spicy by adding a Korean red pepper paste but this recipe used a soy sauce base with a bit of the asian garlic and chile sauce. My mother in law cannot take the heat from the red pepper paste nor can my son. So this marinade was the perfect trade off. The cabbage and carrot slaw went perfectly with the pork. The tangy and lightly sweet dressing in the slaw was delicious. I served it up with brown rice and the Simple Asparagus Side Dish. 

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 Large Pork Tenderloin (about 1-1/2 lb) trimmed (my market ran out of Pork Tenderloin so I opted for Pork Center Loins)

1/3 Cup Soy Sauce

1/4 Cup Rice Vinegar

3 tbsp Light Brown Sugar

2 tbsp Minced Garlic

1-1/2 tbsp Minced Ginger

1 tbsp Sesame Oil

1 tbsp Asian Garlic Chile Sauce or Sriracha Sauce

1 lb Napa Cabbage (thinly sliced)

1 Cup Finely Grated Carrot (about 2 medium carrots)

4 Scallions (white & green parts thinly sliced)

5 tbsp Canola or Peanut Oil

Sea Salt

Toasted Sesame Seeds

Directions

1. Cut the pork into 1/2 inch thick medallions and trim any remaining fat.

2. Soy Sauce Mixture. In a 2 cup measuring cup, whisk the soy sauce, 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tbsp brown sugar, garlic, ginger, 1/2 tbsp of sesame oil and 2 tsp of the garlic chile sauce. 

3. Marinate 1/2 of the soy sauce mixture with the pork in a large bowl. Set aside the remaining soy sauce mixture for later. Let the pork marinate for about 30 minutes at room temperature or marinate in refrigerator for a couple of hours.

4. In a large bowl, toss the cabbage and carrot with half of the sliced scallions, 1 tbsp of canola or peanut oil, 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp of the rice vinegar, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1/2 tbsp of sesame oil and 1 tsp of the garlic chile sauce. Toss and place in the refrigerator. 

5. Heat a heavy based skillet over medium high heat with 2 tbsp of canola or peanut oil. Shake off excess sauce from the pork and place in skillet and cook for about 2 minutes on each side. I used my cast iron grill. 

6. Place the slaw in a large serving platter and top with the pork. Sprinkle the remaining scallions and some sesame seeds on top. Place the remaining soy sauce in a small bowl to use as a dipping sauce for the meat if need be and to use on the Simple Asparagus side dish. Serve with brown rice.

A flavorful Asian Style Pork with a fresh, light & crunchy cabbage and carrot slaw. A healthy, quick and delicious meal for any day. Happy cooking!