Pork Tenderloin Stir-Fry with Tangerines and Chili Sauce

As you may know, I generally don’t make Asian food since it tends to be common restaurant food for my husband and I. But lately, I have realized that you can make some pretty great Asian food at home – not the same ambiance as our favorite little Thai restaurant, but great for a unique weeknight meal.

This recipe is from my favorite, Bon Appetit. There is something about the citrus and spicy chili sauce that gives it the perfect spicy-sweet combination. Make sure to get the red sweet chili sauce (often in your International food aisle) not the chili-garlic sauce that is a brown color. I almost made the mistake of thinking “it is about the same thing, right?” since I had chili-garlic on hand. But, when I ended up buying the sweet chili sauce and tasted it – wow, totally different sauce! Not saying it wouldn’t be potentially good with the chili-garlic, but it is out of this world with the sweet garlic!

PORK TENDERLOIN STIR-FRY WITH TANGERINES AND CHILI SAUCE
4 Servings

1 1 1/4-pound pork tenderloin, trimmed, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds, then cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil, divided
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
4 small unpeeled tangerines or clementines, cut (with peel) into 3/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup Asian sweet chili sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
6 baby bok choy, cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick ribbons, tough bases discarded
5 green onions, thinly sliced on diagonal, divided

Place pork tenderloin strips in medium bowl; sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper and toss with cornstarch to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger; stir 30 seconds. Add pork tenderloin strips; stir-fry until pork is beginning to brown and is almost cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add tangerine pieces; toss 30 seconds. Add sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, and Chinese five-spice powder; boil until sauce in skillet thickens slightly, tossing to blend, about 1 minute. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil, bok choy, and half of sliced green onions. Stir-fry just until bok choy is wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with remaining sliced green onions and serve.

Sate Chicken Salad

If you love Thai food, but don’t always want the heavy rice or fried noodles, this recipe won’t disappoint. I made it hot for dinner but it would work well cold as a summer dish, too. Omit the chicken and it would make a great side as well.

Instead of the rotisserie the recipe calls for, I just cooked some chicken in sesame oil and red pepper flakes in a non-stick skillet. Also, I was out of soy sauce, so I substituted fish sauce (since the ingredients are slightly similar). It was amazing and I didn’t taste the omission, but I will certainly add the soy next time around. It was a great, light, crunchy dish with tons of flavor. Thanks to Gourmet magazine for this one!

SATE CHICKEN SALAD
Serves 6-8
1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts
1 large garlic clove
1 (1-inch) piece peeled ginger
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter (not natural-style)
6 tablespoons warm water
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2.5 tablespoons soy sauce
1.5 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
3 cups slices or coarsely shredding rotisserie chicken
1 lb coleslaw mix
3 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
Lime wedges for garnish

Pulse peanuts in a food processor until coarsely chopped, then transfer to a bowl. With motor running, drop garlic and ginger through feed tube and finely chop. Add peanut butter, water, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and red-pepper flakes and blend until smooth. Add more water to obtain desired consistency.

Toss chicken and vegetables with enough dressing to coat, then sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro.