Sesame Stir-Fried Pork Tenderloin with Shiitakes

This quick weeknight dish was packed with flavor. The seasonings had a great balance too. The original recipe notes that tofu can be substituted for the pork to make a vegetarian version.

This recipe was adapted from 177milkstreet.com, contributed by Dawn Yanagihara. I reduced the amount of kimchi and increased the amount of garlic. This dish could definitely gobble up more kimchi- I may incorporate the full amount next time. I served it over brown Basmati rice to make a complete meal. Wonderful!

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

• 1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed of silver skin (can substitute 14 oz extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes)
• 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 cups Napa cabbage kimchi, drained, large pieces chopped, with 2 T reserved juice (I used 10.6oz jar of Trader Joe’s kimchi)
• 2 1/2 T soy sauce, divided (I used reduced sodium soy sauce)
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 to 3 T grapeseed oil, or other neutral oil
• 8 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 6 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 3 T mirin
• 1 T toasted sesame oil
• 2 T sesame seeds, toasted
• 5 scallions, thinly sliced
• brown Basmati rice, for serving, optional (I used 1 cup rice cooked in 2 cups stock)

1. Cut the tenderloin in half lengthwise, then slice each half crosswise about 1/4-inch thick.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the pork, 1 tablespoon of the reserved kimchi juice, 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
3. In a 12 or 14-inch skillet over high, heat 1 tablespoon of the grapeseed oil until beginning to smoke. Swirl to coat the pan, then add the pork and cook, stirring, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a clean bowl.
4. In the same pan over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil until beginning to smoke.
5. Add the mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid released by the mushrooms has mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, if necessary (I omitted it), and the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
7. Return the pork to the pan with any accumulated juices and cook until the juices evaporate, 30 to 60 seconds.
8. Add the kimchi, mirin, the remaining 1 tablespoon kimchi juice and the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce. Reduce to medium and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, until the kimchi is heated through, about 3 minutes.
9. Stir in the sesame oil, half of the sesame seeds and half of the scallions.
10. Transfer to a bowl or platter, over rice, if desired. Sprinkle with the remaining scallions and sesame seeds. Serve.

Sesame-Citrus Soy Chicken with Garlicky Bok Choy

Oh my, this dish has been waiting in the wings for quite some time. After my last post featuring my bounty of bok choy, it’s finally the perfect time to share it.

I paired this chicken dish with the sautéed bok choy. Both recipes were adapted from Bon Appetit. The chicken dish was contributed by Chris Morocco. The original chicken recipe was intended for kebabs on the grill; I modified to cook whole pieces under a broiler. The bok choy dish was contributed by Sara Dickerman and Marissa Lippert. I increased the garlic. Nice!

Yield: Serves 4

For the Sesame-Citrus Sprinkle:

• 2 T toasted white and/or black sesame seeds
• 1 T thinly sliced chives or 2 scallions
• 1 tsp Aleppo-style pepper or other mild red pepper flakes (I used Ancho Chile Powder)
• ½ tsp finely grated lemon zest
• coarse salt

For the Chicken And Assembly:

• ⅓ cup (packed) light brown sugars
• ⅓ cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
• ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
• ¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1¼ pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs (I used 5 thighs)
• coarse salt

Make the Sesame-Citrus Sprinkle:

1. Mix sesame seeds, chives, Aleppo-style pepper, and lemon zest in a small bowl to combine; season with salt.

Prepare the Chicken:

1. Combine brown sugar, mirin, soy sauce, and vinegar in a small saucepan.
2. Transfer ¼ cup mixture to a large resealable plastic bag.
3. Add chicken thighs to bag with marinade and massage marinade into chicken. Chill at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours.
4. Meanwhile, bring remaining marinade to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until reduced by half and slightly thickened (just shy of syrupy), 8–10 minutes. Remove glaze from heat.
5. Preheat a broiler. (I set mine to Convection Broil +Max at 500 degrees.) (Alternatively, Prepare a grill for medium-high, indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off). Oil grates.)
6. Lightly season the chicken with salt and place under the broiler, until browned and beginning to char in spots, about 4 minutes. Turn over, baste with additional glaze, and cook until the other side is also beginning to char, about 4 to 5 additional minutes.
7. Serve chicken topped with sesame-citrus sprinkle.

Do Ahead: Glaze can be made 12 hours ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.

For the Bok Choy:

• 1 T vegetable oil
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 pound baby bok choy, rinsed, cut into quarters, with core intact (I used 4 baby bok choy)
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

1. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
2. Add garlic and shallot and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Add bok choy, soy sauce, and 2 T water and cover immediately. Cook 1 minute.
4. Uncover and toss, then cover and cook until bok choy is tender at the core, about 3 more minutes.

One Year Ago:

• Scallops & Polenta

Two Years Ago:

• Roasted Vegetable Moussaka

Three Years Ago:

• Pork Sausage & Broccoli in Hard-Cider Sauce

Soba Noodles with Shiitake Mushrooms & Bok Choy

This is an Asian inspired noodle dish adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, Field of Greens: New Vegetarian Recipes from the Celebrated Greens Restaurant by Annie Somerville. It is so “out of the box” for me! I don’t make a lot of Asian food…. but we do eat a lot of pasta. 🙂

I first made this dish when I received baby bok choy in my CSA box and didn’t know what to do with it. Now, I’m hooked on this recipe. It has so many wonderful fresh flavors- bok choy, shiitakes, fresh ginger, cilantro, scallions- not to mention the flavor from the peanut and sesame oils. It also has a spicy kick from the jalapeño. Super tasty.

Serves 2 to 4

• 1/4 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 1/2 large or 2-3 small heads of bok choy or 6+ baby bok choy
• coarse salt
• 6 ounces thin dried buckwheat or soba noodles
• 2 T peanut oil
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2/3 T grated fresh ginger
• 1 jalapeño or serrano chile, seeded, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1-2 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal
• 1 T dark sesame oil
• 2 T mirin (sweet cooking sake)
• 2 T light soy sauce
• 2 T coarsely chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp sesame seed, toasted, optional

1. Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil.
2. Remove the mushroom stems and cut the caps into 1/2-inch slices. (The stems can be saved for stock.)
3. For small heads of bok choy, slice the stem lengthwise, leaving leaf and stem together. For a large head, slice the stems diagonally, 3/4-inch thick, and slice the leaves into 2-inch wide ribbons.
4. When the water boils, add 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the noodles and cook as directed on the package.
5. While the pasta is cooking, heat the peanut oil in a large sauté pan; add the shiitake mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sauté over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the garlic, ginger, chilies, and bok choy and sauté for 2 minutes.
6. Drain the pasta in a colander when it is just tender. Reduce the heat under the sauté pan and add the scallion, sesame oil, mirin, and soy sauce. Quickly add the noodles, taking care not to overcook the bok choy.
7. Remove from the heat, toss the noodles with the vegetables and cilantro, and season with salt to taste, if necessary. Sprinkle with the sesame seed, if using.