Just like how mama used to make it.

This blog's menu:

Seared Pork Loin

Ginger Cabbage

Steamed White Rice

I remember the days of when my mom would cook pork chops at least twice a month and every time it would be the same but ALWAYS delicious. All she did was marinate it in SOY SAUCE. Maybe this is why I love soy sauce and fish sauce so much because my mom used them in EVERYTHING. She would marinate it with soy sauce and a little bit of garlic (at least from what I remember). 

I tried to replicate what my mom makes all the time because there's no sense in changing something that is already good. But when I was food shopping pork loins were on sale so of course I had to jump on that. Pork loin is almost like the Filet Mignon of the pig. It has little fat in it and you can eat it RARE. Yes I said it, you can eat pork loin Rare, Medium Rare, Medium, etc etc. 

Making this meal was simple and fast. First I marinated the pork loin with a little soy sauce and chopped garlic. As that marinates I worked on my cabbage. I grabbed a small piece of ginger about as wide as my thumb and as long as my middle finger. Peel it, cut it into small chunks, and toss it in a small pot with cold water and bring it up to a boil. Now for the cabbage, you can cut the cabbage anyway you want. Big, small, julienne, dice...whatever you want. I cut the cabbage in 4, took out the core and just rough chopped it into big pieces (I like big pieces of cabbage). I only used half cabbage for 2 people. When the water comes up to a boil throw in about a tablespoon of kosher salt. You want to put the salt in after it boils because putting the salt in while the water's cold will cause the water to take longer to boil. Well it doesn't really matter when you put in the salt but I'm used to that because when I'm at work I'm always pressed for time. So saving every little second counts. So back to the cabbage...toss in the cabbage after the salt and make sure everything has been submerged under water. Don't worry some of the cabbage will float up to the surface, that's ok. Just as long as everything has been touched by water. Once the cabbage is in the water let the water come up to a boil and bring the fire down to low heat and let it simmer.

Now that the cabbage is cooking you can start searing your pork. Get the pan hot and toss in a little bit of oil. I recommend a neutral oil such as canola or vegetable oil. Using olive oil or sesame oil or any kind of strong flavored oil can taste weird with the soy sauce and plus...my mom always used vegetable oil. Depending on how thick the pork is and what temperature you want your pork at, adjust your heat so it doesn't burn before cooking the inside if you want a medium well or well done pork. But if you do that, I want you stop reading now. JUST KIDDING. My 2 pieces were about an inch thick and I always cook my pork loin rare. So I get that pan hot and toss my pork on without touching the high heat. I seared about 2 min on one side and 2 min on the other side and then I'm done.

Before you cook ANYTHING, make sure you have rice cooking. That's going to take the longest to cook. You'd know that if you were Asian. 

As soon as my pork was done, my cabbage was done as well. My pork was nicely seared while the juices were locked inside that delicious rare center and my cabbage was nice and tender with a hint of ginger. If my mom knew I had a blog and saw this I think she'd be proud. LOVE YOU MOM!

This is definitely a dish that is quick, easy, and CHEAP. Enjoy!

bien manger

-cwis