Only a ginger, can call another ginger, ginger

US Aussies are quite familiar with the exotic bulb and distinct flavour that is ginger. Our great country is blessed with lots of south east Asian cooking influences, and ginger features heavily in a number of those recipes.

Buderim Ginger, located in Queensland, has been considered one of the world’s premium suppliers of high quality ginger for many years. I can remember taking home samples from a UK trade fair and cooking my favourite stir-fry, revelling in the fact I was using delicious Aussie products.

Cultivated in south east Asia, ginger was traded for centuries before it made its way into Indian, Caribbean and countless other cuisines. The juicy, pale, white flesh can be pickled and used in seafood salads, tossed with vinegars or boiled in water and served as a tea. It’s a great cure for an upset stomach or hangover.

Ginger is very easy to prepare. Taking a small, sharp knife or vegetable peeler, you can remove the tough outside skin just like on a potato. Grating the ginger on veg grater will help break down the fibres and the result is perfect for tossing into stir-fry’s or dressings. Or shave some wafer thin slices and toss them into a curry at the last minute to give your dish a fresh pungent lift.

Ginger, with its heady, spicy flavours, is perfect for this week’s recipe. So grab a small fillet of pork and get marinating for that perfect meal. Here we go, happy cooking!

 

Marinated ginger pork fillet with bok choy

What you need:

• 1 small 350g pork fillet (ask your butcher to trim of any fat and skin)
• 1 thumb size knob of fresh ginger grated
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3 tsp of light soy sauce
• Black pepper
• ½ cup of vegetable oil
• 1 small red onion finely sliced
• 1 tsp of sesame seeds
• ½ bunch of fresh coriander
• 3 sprigs of fresh mint
• 3 heads of fresh bok choy

 

What to do:

Slice the pork fillet into three pieces.

Place the fillet and the ginger, garlic, soy, half the veg oil, half the coriander leaves and black pepper and salt in a bowl.

Allow the fillet to marinate overnight or a few hours.

Pre heat a small griddle pan and remove the fillet from the marinade.

Grill the fillets until brown and golden all over.

This should take 8-10 minutes.

Place the fillets into a warm oven (200 degrees) for six minutes and allow to rest when removed from the oven.

Place the bok choy into boiling water for three minutes.

 

Place the bok choy on a plate, then slice the pork fillet into thin pieces and place alongside the bok choy.

Scatter the mint, coriander, sesame seeds and a splash of soy to finish. Enjoy!

 

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