Pork Satay with Peanut Butter Sauce

You're probably expecting a Thanksgiving recipe, or at least some creative idea on how to use that leftover turkey. I've got nothing. Our Thanksgiving menu this year looked very similar to last year's, except this year my mom just made a rack of lamb in addition to the turkey (as opposed to a prime rib, crab legs and a shrimp ring), we had Brussels sprouts and string beans, two kinds of mashed potatoes (my brother wanted instant ones because they are creamy, and a family member brought a mashed potato casserole flecked with bacon and topped with cheese), mashed sweet potatoes, salad, a Chinese dessert (split pea and coconut cream pudding), two pies...

Anyway, B. and I made this last week at his house. He has gotten into a habit of trolling food blogs (no idea where he got that from) and sent me a link to this pork satay recipe posted on Julie's blog.

The original recipe calls for almond butter, but B. had peanut butter, so we just went with that. I did tone down the brown sugar and soy sauce in the recipe as peanut butter already has a lot of added sugar and salt on its own, while I like to assume that most almond butters are a little more natural.


We grilled these on the Foreman and you have to watch them closely, otherwise they'll come out dry! B. also noted that the peanut sauce was "too peanut buttery" - maybe I should've added the full amount of sugar and soy sauce? I do have a lovely, cooked peanut sauce recipe from Martin Yan Quick and Easy, but this is so much quicker - you just toss all the ingredients together, thin it out with a bit of water and stir it all up. Our attempt at this recipe didn't turn out perfectly, but it's definitely worth making again just to get it right.

B. made coconut rice to serve with it, simply by subbing the water with coconut milk in the rice cooker. Except he opened a new can of coconut milk when there was an open one from the week before in the fridge. (Grrr...)

Pork Satay with Peanut Butter Sauce
Adapted from Dinner with Julie
Makes 4 servings

• 1 pork tenderloin (about 500 g)

Marinade:

• 1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh grated ginger
  
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
  
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) brown sugar
  
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) orange, lime or lemon juice
  
• 1 tsp (5 mL) low-sodium soy sauce
  
• ½ tsp (2 mL) curry powder
  
• 1 pinch hot pepper flakes

Peanut butter satay sauce:

• ½ cup (125 mL) peanut butter
  
• ½ tbsp (7 mL) brown sugar
  
• ½ tbsp (7 mL) low-sodium soy sauce
  
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon or lime juice
  
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) hot water
  
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
  
• ½ tsp (2 mL) Sriracha sauce

1. Cut the pork tenderloin in half crosswise and then lengthwise into strips. Set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, mix marinade ingredients together. Add pork strips and stir (or toss with your hands) to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
   
2. In a small bowl, mix together all the satay sauce ingredients, and thin with additional water if necessary. Set aside.
   
3. Preheat a grill or broiler. Thread the pork onto skewers that have been soaked in water for at least 10 minutes. Grill or broil on both sides until just cooked through. Serve with sauce on the side.

Nutrition Info (per serving): 302 calories, 17 g fat (4 g saturated), 40 mg cholesterol, 18 g carbohydrate (2 g fibre, 12 g sugar), 22 g protein, 293 mg sodium. An excellent source of thiamine (vitamin B₁), niacin (vitamin B₃), vitamin B₆, phosphorus, potassium, manganese and selenium. A good source of riboflavin (vitamin B₂), vitamin B₁₂ and zinc.