I love mixing marinades. I always feel like a mad scientist, tossing in a bit of this and a dash of that. Rarely measuring. One of the nice unexpected benefits to blogging is that it has forced me to write down what I do and how much I do it with, which has made it possible to reproduce good results.
I actually started out with the makings for an Asian slaw, and needed something to go with it, so I decided to go with an Asian(ish) pork loin. I honestly have no idea if they would ever make it like this in Asia, but the flavors have a distinctive Asian twist so we’ll just roll with it. When you have a well-stocked pantry, you can pretend you’re from anywhere, right? Normally I would do these two dishes in two separate posts but they went together so well, I thought I’d just throw it out there together.
I never used to be a huge fan of pork, but I absolutely adore pork loin. It’s lean, but juicy and it soaks up just about any marinade you put on it and just gets tastier. And they are just about foolproof to cook. Depending on where you shop, sometimes they are a little pricey, but I keep my eye out for sales, and when I see one I stash a few in my freezer.
Asian-Inspired Pork Loin and Slaw
Asian-ish Pork Loin
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2-3 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. chili garlic sauce
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1-2 pork loins (1 package usually has 2 loins in it)
Mix together marinade all ingredients in a large zip lock bag, then add pork loin. Marinate at least 30 minutes or up to a couple of hours.
My favorite way to marinate since it’s easy to reposition so all of the meat gets some love. You can do it in a dish or bowl if you prefer.
Preheat oven to 350˚. Place loin in a shallow baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, brushing once or twice during cooking with leftover marinade (do not brush with marinade during the last 5 minutes of cooking). It should be done, but if you want to test it, a meat thermometer should read 145˚ in the center of the loin. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes before slicing. It should be slightly pink in the center.
Juicy wonderful pork loin. Best when it’s slightly pink in the center.
Asian Slaw
1 small head Napa cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 bell pepper, chopped or sliced
2 carrots, shredded
2 green onions, sliced
3 tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. sesame seeds
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
Mix all ingredients. I recommend letting it sit for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, before serving so flavors can mingle.
3hungrymonkeys 