Szechuan Pork and Veggies

Happy Monday Friends! I wasn't planning to share this recipe with you  this time around because it was my first time trying it out. Buttt.... people got really excited when I instgrammed a couple of pictures... so I decided I would share it with you. But you've got to bear with me - my pictures are just what I snapped with my iPhone and instagrammed. I will update this post with better photos when I make this recipe again (which I will be doing soon because it was so darn good I've been dreaming about it!).                                

                                

I adapted this recipe slightly from the Guy Can't Cook by Cinda Chavich. If you follow my blog regularly, you'll know that I LOVE the Guy Can't Cook and the Girl Can't Cook cookbooks. They're life savers with tips to easily and practically tackle tougher dishes to impress friends and family with your culinary prowess (even if you seriously lack in that area). Give them a go - you won't be disappointed! From consistent recipes, explanations for new ingredients, along with tips and tricks for newbies!

Szechuan Pork and Veggies

Recipe adapted from the Guy Can't Cook

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup canola oil, divided
• 2 small zucchini's
• 1 lb boneless pork loin chops, cut into thin strips
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Asian Chili paste (or more depending on how spicy you like it)
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (I used seasoned rice wine vinegar)
• 1 tbsp tamari
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp hot curry powder
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped into thin strips
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Method:

1. In a wok, heat 1-2 tbsp of the oil over medium high heat. Cook chopped zucchini in batches until lightly browned, but not overcooked. Remove zucchini to a bowl and set aside for later. Season pork strips with salt and pepper. Add 1-2 more tbsp of the oil to the wok and add the pork. Cook it in batches until it is nicely browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside for later.
2. Add a little more oil to the wok and then add the onion. Cook, stirring until starting to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Combine the chili paste, tomato paste, broth, vinegar, tamari, fish sauce, brown sugar and curry powder and stir together. Add to the wok and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
3. Return the pork to the pan, stir in the bell pepper and return to a boil. Cover the wok and simmer over medium heat for 30-45 minutes (sauce will thicken and develop a really rich taste). Add the zucchini and chopped cilantro. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve over rice.

                                     

Kabobs: Thai Coconut Curry Pork Kabobs & Satay Chicken

I've never made kabobs before. Don't get me wrong - I like a good kabob, and I've tried a few of the recipes before, but I've never actually gone to the effort of actually cutting up the meat and threading it onto skewers. I'm torn about whether I would go through with the effort again. It was kind of neat, but I'm not that excited about eating off a skewer - I'm find with little chunks of meat that I can just eat with a fork. So you can decide what you want to do with these recipes - you can cut the meat up, marinate and then cook, or thread it onto skewers and cook it that way!!

We'll go easy on the blabbing today because I have two recipes to share with you!! Hope you enjoy.

Pork Skewers with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce
Recipe from the Guy Can't Cook by Cinda Chavich

Ingredients:

• one 398ml can light coconut milk
• 2 tsp hot asian chili paste
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pork tenderloin (about 500g), cut into long, thin strips

Method:

1. In a food processor or blender, combine the coconut milk, chilipaste, cilantro, oyster sauce, curry powder, brown sugar, and garlic. Whirl until pureed.
2. Place the pork strips in a ziploc bag and add half of the marinade. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for several hours. Cover the remaining marinade and refrigerate.
3. Thread pork, accordion-style onto wooden skewers. Grill pork over medium-high heat for 8 minutes, turning several times, until its just cooked. Be sure to soak your wooden/ bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking so they don't burn on the grill.
4. Meanwhile, put the reserved marinade into a small pot and boil for 10 minutes to thicken. Brush some of the curry sauce over the pork as it comes off the grill. Serve the pork skewers over basmati rice, drizzled with the remaining curry sauce and sprinkled with more fresh cilantro.

This one was definitely my favorite - I just can't resist a yummy thai curry sauce (actually, pretty much any thai food is irresistable to me).

Satay Sticks with Peanut Sauce
Recipe from the Guy Can't Cook by Cinda Chavich

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless, sinless chicken, pork, or lamb, cut into thin strips
• Marinade:
• 1/4 cup kecap manis (sweet indonesian soy sauce)
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp honey
• Peanut Sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1 tbsp kecap manis
• 1/4 cup chicken broth or water
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 tsp asian chili paste

Method:

1. In a large ziploc bag, combine the meat with the marinade ingredients. Seal and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Drain the marinated meat and thread onto skewers. Grill over medium-high heat until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes in total.
3. To make the sauce, whisk the garlic, peanut butter, kecap manis, chicken broth, lime juice, and chili paste together in a small bowl.
4. Set the sauce in the center of a round platter, and arrange the skewers like spokes around the edges if you are feeling artistic & fancy.

Both of these recipes are quite simple, just be sure you allow time for the meat to marinade because that's where the flavour comes from. You could probably bake the kabobs in the oven too if your weather conditions don't allow you to grill outside. :) Bake on a fairly high heat and broil a little at the end to get a little bit of browning on the meat.

Happy Cooking my Friends!