I just love pork tenderloin – it’s lean and hardly needs any trimming. This recipe is my Indonesian choice for a dinner with guests as I can prepare it in advance. I have peace of mind in case they arrive late which is pretty much the rule with our friends. On a rare occasion, when there are leftovers, pork tenderloin makes for great sandwiches the next day.
Pork tenderloin can be combined with a lot of different side dishes, spicy or not. The room temperature satay noodle salad is one of my favorites.
Yield: 4 servings
Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
Pork Tenderloin
- 1 1/2 lbs (675 g) pork tenderloin
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 garlic clove, cut into 5 thin slivers
- 4 nests of Chinese noodles, about 10 oz (300 g)
- 1 cup (150 g) thin green beans
- 1/2 European cucumber, seeded and cut into thin batons
- 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro (coriander leaves), finely chopped
- 1/2 cup (60 g) cashews, roasted not salted
Satay Sauce
- 1 cup (270 g) creamy peanut butter
- 1 tsp sriracha hot sauce, or to your taste
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
- 1 tsp tamarind paste
- enough cold water to make a smooth consistency sauce
- 1/2 tsp brown sugar or more if sauce is too bitter to your taste
Preparation:
Preheat the oven 375ºF/190ºC.
In a small bowl make a paste of olive oil, black pepper, salt, and cayenne. Set aside.
Make random small slits into the pork tenderloin and insert a garlic sliver in each of them. Rub olive oil paste and salt all over the pork tenderloin. In an ovenproof skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add pork tenderloin and brown it all over until it has a nice brown crust. Transfer skillet to the oven and roast pork tenderloin for about 15 minutes. Transfer pork to a board cover it with a foil and let it rest for about 10 minutes.noodle cooking
While the pork is roasting, bring water to a boil in 2 separate saucepans. One for the Chinese noodles and the other for the green beans. Add salt to both saucepans. Cook Chinese noodles for about 2-3 minutes. Drain and save some of the cooking water. Run noodles under cold water and drain again. Cook green beans for 5-8 minutes or until “al dente”. Run under cold water and drain. Set noodles and green beans aside to cool while you prepare the satay sauce.
Mix all ingredients for the satay sauce. Taste for piquancy. Set aside. In a bowl mix noodles, green beans, and cilantro (coriander leaves). Add satay sauce and toss it. Add a bit of noodle cooking water if necessary to make it creamy.
Just before serving add cucumber batons and roasted cashews.
Arrange sliced pork tenderloin on a plate with a side of noodle salad. Serve remaining satay sauce with it.
