Sambal pork (well actually sambal anything) is so damn good! Juicy pork medallions, beautifully grilled, then basted with sambal oelek and served with an Asian style long stem broccoli side…This Indonesian sambal recipe is easy, healthy and so so good!
If you’ve not tried sambal oelek paste before then you must give it a try. It’s a really fiery chilli paste that’s often pimped up with a number of other delicious ingredients. Sambal oelek recipes vary quite a lot but chilli is always the main focus. Some Indonesian sambal recipes include ingredients like garlic, shallots, lime or shrimp paste. All of which work perfectly with freshly grilled pork. To get that smoky, charred flavour that’s so often found in Asian cooking, I used a griddle pan for this sambal pork recipe(just like I did in this EPIC recipe) . It’s a great way of getting a barbecue style finish without having to rely on the ever dodgy British weather. If the sun is out though, then this recipe would be beautiful for an early autumn barbecue. Once the pork is almost cooked, begin basting with the fiery paste, which has two jobs. Firstly basting cools and moistens the pork keeping it juicy and delicious, then the second job is to boost the flavour and heat massively! It’s always going to have a good kick, but you can increase or decrease the fire by how liberal you are with the sambal paste. Now that the sambal pork is perfect it just needs a partner in crime, which is where this epic Asian broccoli recipe comes in…
Long stem broccoli, (also called tenderstem broccoli) is in season in the UK, so I’ve been using lots of it recently. It’s such a healthy vegetable that’s packed with fibre and a surprising amount of protein too, not to mention vitamins and all that good stuff that keeps us healthy when the temperatures start to drop. Not only is long stem broccoli healthy though, it’s so tasty too. For this recipe, I was keen to come up with an Asian broccoli side that marries up perfectly with the sambal pork. I kept the cooking of the tenderstem broccoli really simple, giving it a quick blanch until tender and super vibrant. I then quickly sweated down shallots and garlic in sesame oil until sticky and sweet. Once it’s all looking delicious, you stir the tenderstem broccoli into the shallot mixture and finish with loads of fresh herbs and crunchy toasted peanuts. Simple.
You could easily mix things up with this Indonesian sambal recipe, swap the pork for sambal chicken instead (grilled thighs would be delicious ). Or you can tweak the Asian broccoli recipe. Try swapping the long stem broccoli for a different type of greens, say asparagus or green beans, whatever’s in season and fresh will be delicious for sure.
SPICY SAMBAL PORK & THE TASTIEST LONG STEM BROCCOLI RECIPE
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 large shallots sliced
- 2 cloves garlic sliced
- 450 g pork tenderloin cut into 1" thick medallions
- 100 g sambal oelek
- 220 g tenderstem broccoli thicker stems halved
- A handful coriander leaves chopped
- A handful mint chopped
- A handful Thai basil chopped
- A handful toasted peanuts
Instructions
- Preheat a griddle pan/barbecue to a high heat.
- In a small frying pan over a medium heat, add 1 tbsp oil and gently sweat the shallots for a couple of minutes then add the garlic. Continue cooking until golden and sweet.
- Meanwhile, season pork then griddle for 2 minutes on each side. After this, keep turning the pork every minute until cooked to your liking (typically about 6-8 minutes total). For the last couple of minutes, baste with sambal. Remove from grill and keep warm.
- Boil the long stem broccoli for 3-4 minutes until tender, drain then stir into the sticky shallots. Top with herbs and peanuts. Serve alongside pork. Drizzle broccoli with remaining oil and more sambal on the pork if you like it hot.
