Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin is truly one of my favourite cuts of meat to make. It's very lean, cooks quickly and when cooked to the right temperature, it is incredibly tender. 

Pork tenderloin is not to be confused with pork loin. Tenderloin is a long thin piece of meat, about 2" in diameter and about 14" long.

The combination of pork and teriyaki sauce is a match made in heaven. The pork is tender and juicy, while the teriyaki sauce provides a flavourful and slightly sweet coating with a hint of umami flavour. If you are looking for an easy way to add some Asian flair to your dinner table, then teriyaki pork tenderloin is the recipe for you!.

There is no need to buy pre-made teriyaki sauce when you can make it yourself  from scratch that includes simple ingredients like garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar and brown sugar. In the sauce below I add a little bit of orange juice for a citrusy flavour.

We often think of teriyaki as just a flavour but it's actually a Japanese technique of cooking. The method refers to grilling or broiling with a combination of sugar and soy sauce!

Ingredients:

• 500-600g of pork tenderloin
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ cup teriyake sauce or homemade as below
• sesame seed and spring onions for garnishing

Teriyaki Sauce:

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger minced
• ½ tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp corn flour for thickening

Method:

 If making homemade sauce, combine teriyaki sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Add half of the teriyaki sauce to the pork tenderloin. Refrigerate the remaining sauce to thicken for serving.

Marinate the pork for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. Overnight will be the best. Remove tenderloin from the marinate and discard the marinate.

Preheat oven to 230ºC/200ºC for fan assist oven. Line a baking paper with foil. Cook the tenderloin for 25-30 minutes or until the thermometer reads an internal temperature of 65ºC

While pork is cooking, combine reserved sauce with 3 tablespoons water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.

Combine 1 tablespoon cornflour with 1 tablespoon water and add to simmering sauce a bit at a time to thicken. You may not need all of the cornflour mixture.

Remove the pork from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Drizzle pork with thickened sauce and garnish with spring onions and sesame seeds.