Korean Pork Medallions with Spicy Asian Slaw

The hubby and I have been dining on leftovers all week, trying to get things done around the house, but we needed a bit of a break tonight. I flipped through a cookbook and found this quick recipe to go with our leftover potstickers, using some of the extra ingredients from those.

This recipe is from Fine Cooking, and it's virtually foolproof; I know this because I screwed it up in a variety of ways, and it still tasted fantastic. (And spicy!)

My only complaint about Fine Cooking cookbooks is that the writers don't take the time to mention when an ingredient in the list needs to be divided. Which, if you're actually reading the entire recipe, is fine. But if you're in a hurry and skimming like me, you might accidentally dump twice as much vinegar as called for into the marinade.

Not that this a problem. It's only vinegar. It's not like it has a strong flavor or anything.

I would recommend marinating the pork longer than 25 minutes (or 5 minutes, as it was in my case); I think that 6-8 hours in the fridge would infuse the pork chops with even more flavor. In that case, you could probably grill or broil the pork instead of pan-frying it, to make it healthier.

Korean Pork Medallions with Spicy Asian Slaw
Serves 4

Pork medallions
1 large or 2 small pork tenderloins (1 1/4 lbs.)
1/2 c. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1/2 Tbsp. dark sesame oil
2 tsp. Sriracha
2 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil, for frying

Asian slaw
5-6 c. coleslaw mix, or 5 c. thinly sliced Napa cabbage and 1 c. grated carrots
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp. dark sesame oil
1 tsp. Sriracha

1. Trim pork, and cut in 1/2" slices.

2. Combine pork marinade ingredients (everything but the canola oil), and pour 1/2 c. over pork in a small bowl. (Set the rest aside for serving.) Marinate at least 2 hours, refrigerated, or 25 minutes at room temperature.

3. Combine slaw ingredients in a large bowl. Let sit 15 minutes, and toss again.

4. Heat 2 Tbsp. canola oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, until oil is quite hot. Add pork, but don't overcrowd the pan (cook in two batches, if necessary). Cook 2 minutes. Flip and cook until pork is just cooked through, about 2-3 minutes.

5. Serve pork with slaw and additional sauce, if desired.