Recipe: Spicy Pork Bowl With Carrots And Kale
As we wait for spring to settle in, why not make this earthy, spicy pork bowl with brown rice?
This easy dish tastes like the last gasp of winter with the addition of deeply earthy stored carrots and the cold weather toughened kale. I love them, but happy to say au revoir until next fall! It offers a different take on cooking the short-grained brown rice that most recipes call for: I simply boil it in lots of salted water as if you were cooking pasta. It makes each grain of rice stay distinct and mildly chewy rather than clumping together as it tends to do when steamed. I also add a small strip of kombu seaweed to the cooking water to add a nice layer of flavor as well as sea minerals. And serving this recipe in my favorite hand-thrown bowls made by local artist Brad Lail of Lail Design makes it even more enjoyable to tuck into.
Spicy Pork Bowl with Carrots and Kale
Serves 4
1 pound of pork tenderloin, cut into ½ inch thick slices
For the pork marinade:
4 T. soy sauce
3 T. sambal oelek chili paste or other reasonably spicy chili paste
1 T. toasted sesame oil
1 T. apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
2 teaspoons freshly grated garlic
2 teaspoons brown sugar
Stir the marinade ingredients together. Coat the sliced pork with all of the marinade and refrigerate for up to 4 hours before cooking.
For the rice:
1 cup short grained brown rice
1 ½” strip of dried kombu
½ teaspoon sea salt
Bring 6 quarts of cold water to a boil. Add the sea salt, kombu and rice. Continue to cook uncovered at a nice rolling boil until rice is tender. This takes about 40 minutes. Remove kombu before serving if you prefer.
For the carrots and kale:
2 large carrots, scrubbed and thinly sliced
1 large bunch of Lacinato or curly green kale, trimmed and cut into ½-inch thick ribbons
Cooking the pork and veg:
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat with 1 T. olive oil or vegetable oil. Drain the excess marinade off the pork but reserve it for later. Add the pork slices to the hot pan and let each side brown for about 2 minutes before turning. Cook another 2 minutes on the second side or until there is no pinkness in the middle of the pork. Transfer the cooked pork to a plate or bowl and add the carrots and kale to the same skillet, adding a touch more oil to the pan. Stir fry the carrots and kale until tender — about 4 minutes. Add the reserved pork marinade and simmer 1 minute.
To serve:
Divide the rice among the bowls. Spoon the carrots and kale and any sauce in the skillet over the rice. Top the bowl with the sliced pork and any resting juices.
