I have always been a huge fan of the flavors used in Asian cuisine. They utilize the salty, sweet, and spicy flavors with great variety. I woke up this morning craving a spicy pork sandwich, also rich in Umami. Umami is the fifth flavor, it is earthy, rich, and utterly delightful! I could have gone to a restaurant and ordered one, but that would have made for a really lame blog post. By the way, this is not a quick meal to make, because you have to roast the pork loin. However, that can be done in advance, or just have a PB&J for lunch and know that you are now making dinner :). I use a pork loin whenever I plan on a longer cook time because it has more fat and will remain juicy in the oven.
Pork Loin Marinade
1 lb pork loin
2 cups low sodium soy sauce
1 cup natural apple juice (not from concentrate)
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sesame oil
2 Thai chili's chopped (you can sub in 2 tablespoons sriracha if you can't find Thai chili's)
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl (not the pork loin, it doesn't mix well). Take a paring knife and stab the pork loin all over to allow the marinade access to the insides (don't attack the thing like Michael Myers, you will want to eat it later...) Place pork loin into Ziploc bag, cover with marinade. Place bag into a dish that allows the pork to lie flat. Place in refrigerator. Marinate for 4-5 hours, flipping the pork loin every hour or so. Rinse the marinade off the loin and pat dry.
Roasting Pork Loin
black pepper, as needed
dried thyme, as needed
olive oil
Drizzle loin with olive oil and coat with your hands. sprinkle a liberal coating of the black pepper and thyme (2 parts pepper to 1 part thyme) over the loin. Rub spices/herbs into the meat. Drizzle with olive oil one more time, do NOT rub in the oil this time or you will remove the seasoning. Place loin in a roasting pan, cover, and roast in a 325 degree oven for 1 hour. Check the temperature of the loin with a meat thermometer. It is finished cooking at 155 degrees (if your nervous about pork and know that it is fully cooked at 165 degrees, I congratulate your knowledge of pork products!! However, the temperature will continue to rise ten degrees after you remove it from the oven due to residual heat!! So HA! You learned something new today!! Let the loin rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing as thin as you can manage.
Asian Mayonnaise Deliciousness
Left over pork loin marinade
2 cups Mayo (I recommend low fat, but hey...do whatever feels right)
Take the remaining marinade from the Ziploc bag and place in a sauce pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the mixture by half. After reducing, the mixture should be thick and syrup-like, if it is not you will need to add a mixture of cornstarch and water (2 tablespoons water, 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch). Whisk in the cornstarch slowly. Cook the marinade an additional 5 minutes. Cool Marinade in refrigerator. Place the mayo in a bowl and add the cooled marinade in a little at a time. Taste the sauce every time you add more to have it meet your personal preference on strength. I use a lot in mine, but I'm just that awesome. After the mixture tastes rich and earthy, you will need to check the heat level, I love spicy foods so I will be adding sriracha to make it hotter. If its too hot....add honey.
Sandwich Assembly
Thinly sliced pork
carrot shavings, peel outer layer off carrot and discard. Keep peeling to get thin strips of carrot
Micro Greens
Tomato slices, thin
Grilled Pita Bread (the flat bread, not pita pockets)
Mayo mixture
Grill your pita on both sides until softened and pliable. Spread mayo onto the entire top of the pita bread. In the center of the pita place three tomato slice, edge to edge. Top tomatoes with the pork, then micro greens, and finally your carrot shavings. Roll the pita up in tin foil, peel back the top part of tin foil and dive in!! The pita should be very full, if it isn't you might as well be eating a piece of bread! I like to put the remaining mayo mix into a squirt bottle and drizzle onto the sandwich as I eat it, but again, you do what you think is best. Eat UP!!
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