Soy, Honey & Schezuan Pepper Pork Medallions

In these busy, busy days quick mid-week meals are the winners for me, especially if they’re full of flavour and taste like they were harder work than they really were. Oriental style dishes are perfect examples of this; stir-frying is as quick as it gets and the spices and flavours used really permeate the dishes.

This meal tonight was very much a store cupboard dish. Rob had bought some pork medallions when he went shopping – I love it when he brings something back unexpected like this; puts me in ready, steady, cook mode – and I thought I’d use some Chinese five spice on them but alas, there was no such spice lurking in the back of my cupboard. There was, however, a pot of schezuan pepper. Have spice, will travel; in this case to China. I added soy sauce, runny honey and garlic to the mix and marinated the pork for an hour before cooking it up and serving it with egg fried rice. Sure beats takeaway!

Soy, Honey & Schezuan Pepper Pork Medallions with Egg Fried Rice

Serves 2

For the Pork
300g Pork medallions
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon runny honey
2 garlic cloves, grated
1/4 schezuan pepper, crushed
Vegetable oil, for frying

For the Egg Fried Rice
200g long grain rice, quickly cooled and chilled
2 eggs
Vegetable oil, for frying

Start by marinating the pork. Add it to a shallow dish or a plastic food bag. Mix the soy sauce, honey, garlic and schezuan pepper together then pour it over the pork. If using a dish cover it, if using a food bag squeeze out the air then tie it in a knot. Put the pork into the fridge and leave it to marinate for at least an hour.

When you’re ready to cook the pork heat a little vegetable oil over a medium high heat and add the medallions along with the marinade. Cook them, turning once, for about 5 minutes each side (the time will depend on their thickness, mine were quite thick) until completely cooked through.

While the pork is cooking make the egg fried rice. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and then whisk them together and set them aside.

Heat about a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok over a high heat and then add the rice. Stir fry it for a few minutes and then pour the eggs over the top. Continue to stir fry, mixing the egg into the rice, for a further few minutes or so until it turns lightly golden and is piping hot all the way through. Serve straight away with the pork.