Tangerine Dream
When one of our neighbors brought over a bag of tangerines, I juiced some and made a citrus marinade. It turned out to be perfect for this pork stir-fry.
You can vary this dish in several ways. Substitute chicken for the pork, if you prefer, using four boneless, skinless breasts or thighs. And though this calls for snow peas and a bell pepper, you can add your family’s favorite vegetables. Finally, it’s good over jasmine rice, but for a switch try the pork over a bed of Asian noodles.
*
Tangerine-Marinated Pork With Stir-Fried Vegetables
Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 20 minutes
1 cup tangerine juice (from about 4 tangerines)
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce, divided
2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
1 pound thin-cut boneless pork loin chops
1 large red bell pepper
2 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
3 cups snow peas, trimmed
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1/2 cup roasted cashews, optional
Salt
Combine the tangerine juice, lime juice, 3 tablespoons of the soy sauce and the garlic in a bowl. Cut the pork chops into 1/8-inch-thick strips and place in the marinade.
While the pork is marinating, cut the red pepper in half and remove the seeds. Slice the halves lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips. (If it is a long pepper, cut each half in half crosswise, then slice into 1/4-inch-wide strips.)
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over high heat until very hot. Drain the marinade from the pork and reserve. Add small batches of the pork to the wok and cook, stirring, until no longer pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove the cooked pork to a bowl and continue cooking the rest of the pork.
Remove all the pork, then add the remaining oil and the remaining soy sauce to the wok. Add the red pepper, snow peas and green onions and continue stirring on high heat until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Stir a little of the reserved marinade into the cornstarch until smooth, then return to the rest of the marinade and add it to the wok. It will begin to boil immediately. Let it boil for a full minute, then add the cooked pork, cilantro and cashews, if using. Add salt to taste. Stir to combine and heat through. Serve on jasmine rice.
4 servings. Each serving: 360 calories; 506 mg sodium; 79 mg cholesterol; 20 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 27 grams protein; 3.77 grams fiber.
MENU
Tangerine-Marinated Pork With Stir-Fried Vegetables
Jasmine Rice
Almond Cookies
*
STAPLES
Butter
Cornstarch
Garlic
Jasmine rice
Low-sodium soy sauce
Peanut oil
*
SHOPPING LIST
Almond cookies
Roasted cashews
Cilantro
Green onions
Limes
Red bell pepper
1 pound boneless pork loin chops
Snow peas
Tangerines
*
GAME PLAN
20 minutes before: Marinate pork; start rice.
15 minutes before: Cut up bell pepper, onions, cilantro.
10 minutes before: Heat wok and cook pork. Stir-fry vegetables. Add marinade and cornstarch.
*
Jasmine Rice
Active Work Time: 5 minutes
Total Preparation Time: 20 minutes
2 cups jasmine rice
2 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
Place the rice in a colander and rinse under cold running water for 1 minute.
Place the rice, water, butter and soy sauce in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, turn the heat to low and simmer until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the rice from the heat and fluff with a fork.
4 servings. Each serving: 198 calories; 304 mg sodium; 8 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 1.80 grams fiber.
*
Plate, chopsticks and place mat from Sur La Table stores.
