Netflix has been surprising me mightily with their movies lately. I can send up some rave reviews for Kodachrome (Ed Harris, Elizabeth Olsen, Jason Sudeikis) and The Two Popes (Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce). I have Marriage Story and The Laundromat on the watch list. Obviously, there’s The Irishman. (I’m a bit undecided on this one.)
But, today, I want to specifically talk about Always Be My Maybe with Ali Wong. It is the January film pick for Food ‘n Flix and it is hilarious. Wong plays a celebrity chef who wrestles with fame, fortune, a creepy (but über handsome) fiance, and the obligatory old high school flame. 
I love Wong’s character (Sasha) and her comedic timing is impeccable. (She rocks some frames, too.) The high school sweetheart, played by Randall Park, is a lovable slacker. There’s the typical rom-com formula working here but I still enjoyed the film.
How could you not love a movie where Keanu Reeves plays an over-the-top version of himself. (Or is it over-the-top?) Seriously, his scenes were some of the funniest of the whole film.
What to make, what to make? (I was trying to figure out how to utilize headphones but I just wasn’t creative enough. That’s another nod to Keanu’s character.)
OK, all of this food is too frou-frou and weird for me. I originally felt compelled to make Kimchi Jigae, a comfort food that Sasha moves to elevated cuisine. If you’re interested, this was the recipe I was going to use. Then, one Saturday I was watching Milk Street and I decided this recipe might be even more delicious.
Stir-Fry Pork Tenderloin with Kimchi
Recipe found here.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed of silver skin
- 2 1/2 c. kimchi, well drained (reserve 2 T. of kimchi “juice”)
- 2 1/2 T. soy sauce, divided
- sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
- 3 T. grapeseed oil
- 8 oz. fresh shitake mushroom caps, sliced
- 3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 3 T. mirin*
- 1 T. toasted sesame oil
- 2 T. toasted sesame seeds
- 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Cut the tenderloin in half lengthwise, then slice each half crosswise about ¼ inch thick. In a medium bowl, stir together the pork, 1 tablespoon of the kimchi juice, 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- In a 12-inch skillet over high, heat 1 tablespoon of the grapeseed oil until beginning to smoke. Swirl to coat the pan, then add the pork and cook, stirring, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a clean bowl.
- In the same pan over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil until beginning to smoke. Add the mushrooms and ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid released by the mushrooms has mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Return the pork to the pan with any accumulated juices and cook until the juices evaporate, 30 to 60 seconds.
- Add the kimchi, mirin, the remaining 1 tablespoon kimchi juice and the remaining 1½ tablespoons soy sauce. Reduce to medium and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, until the kimchi is heated through, about 3 minutes. Stir in the sesame oil, half of the sesame seeds and half of the scallions. Transfer to platter and sprinkle with the remaining scallions and sesame seeds.
- Serve with long grain brown rice.
*I forgot to buy mirin so I used some sweetened white wine.
This was so delicious. The pork was fork tender. I will make this again! I would not recommend using any other mushroom. Seek out the shitakes!
Camilla is hosting this round. You can read her announcement post here. Thanks, Camilla! This was a fun round.
Join the FnF crew in February when Heather at All Roads Lead to the Kitchenis hosting Nina’s Heavenly Delights.