Marinade
2 T McCormick’s Thai Seasoning
3 T Sesame Oil
6 scallions (green onion) – finely sliced
¼ cup prepared Teriyaki Sauce
¼ cup Soy Sauce
2 T minced fresh garlic
½ t dried ground ginger

Place the pork medallions in the mixing bowl with the Marinade and mix well. Cover and refrigerate 4-6 hours. So, prepare this dish after apparatus “check out” …. and have it for supper! When ready for service, remove the pork from the marinate but reserve it for the sauce.

About a half-hour before final preparation, prepare rice, egg noodles, pasta, mashed or home fried potatoes to accompany the pork and reserve until service.

Blanch the broccoli and drain. Stir-fry the marinated pork in a small amount of canola or peanut oil until color begins to appear on the pork. Stir fry the pork in small batches and place in a large mixing bowl until the vegetables are prepared. Separately stir fry the blanched broccoli, sliced mushrooms and the Julianne onions in separate batches until all are just beginning to become tender. Do not overcook the vegetables or the pork. Make a quick sauce by placing the corn starch in a small container and adding the reserved marinate and a little water. Mix this together to form a slurry. Return the pork to the wok or large sauté pan and quickly bring to temperature. Add the corn starch slurry to the pork and mix quickly and thoroughly until thickened. Combine the pork and the vegetables and serve.

Thin sliced Bok Choy and/or French Cut Carrots may be added to the vegetables for variety and color enhancement.

Yield: Eight 8-oz portions

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving:
Calories 700
Protein (g) 54
Fat (g) 46
Sat fat (g) 9
Carbs (g) 17
Sodium (mg) 1555
Cholesterol (mg) 125

Chef Notes:
Blanch – To partially cook a raw item in a boiling liquid (in this case, water). In this case placing the broccoli in boiling water for about 60 seconds produces a bright green color and cuts down on the time needed to stir-fry the vegetable.

Stir Fry – Quick frying in a small amount of fat or oil. Woks are often used but large sauté pans are also effective. Use a high “smoke point” oil like peanut or canola vs. corn oil or olive oil to avoid a burned flavor in the dish. The trick to good stir frying is to prepare the food in small batches and keep the heat up in the pan; use only small amounts of oil; use wooden utensils if possible; add favoring, seasonings and sauces only at the last minute to keep the food from being soggy.

Medallions – Round pieces of meat usually about ¼ inch thick and uniform in size. This allows the meat to cook quickly and develop good color. Medallions of beef, veal, chicken breast, or turkey breast are used in many dishes.

Julianne – One of several cuts used for vegetables. Julianne describes a thin, long cut. When used for onions, cut both ends of the onion off so that none of the root end remains, then halve the onion from the bulb end to the root end, then starting at one side of the half, cut strips from the onion about ¼ inch wide. When used with other vegetables such as carrots, the strips are much thinner (classically 1/8 X 1/8 X 1 ½ to 2 inches).

Corn Starch – Corn starch is used as a thickener in sauces and soups. In this application, the dry starch is placed in a small bowl and liquid is added and mixed completely to form slurry. Whisks work great for this. A slurry can be prepared in advance, but it will need to be re-mixed as the starch will settle out quickly. It is only a temporary emulsion. Corn starch itself adds no flavor, but it can lighten the color of a sauce or soup so only small amounts should be used. Corn starch thickens a sauce only when it reaches a boil or fast simmer and it must be stirred during the entire time it is coming to this point. Place small amounts of slurry in at a time. You can always add thickeners, and it is easy to have something become too thick. If this happens, just add a little water to reduce the consistency. Never, put dry corn starch directly into a dish for thickening (it will almost never dissolve completely), and that is why you make a slurry.

Kerry B. Koen
Fire Chief, Delray Beach Fire Department
Delray Beach, FL