Ginger Lime Pork with Coconut Rice

Mid-April. Connecticut is green. The lilacs are about to bloom. The air smells of wet dirt and growing things and the particular freshness that only happens for three weeks a year between winter and summer. I sat on the back porch Tuesday morning with coffee and the notebook and I wrote for two hours.

Habichuelas this week. The Tuesday pot of beans. Pink beans, calabaza, ham hock, sofrito. The same pot I have made a thousand times. The notebook chapter on habichuelas is five pages long because I kept adding to it. I added a note about what to do when the beans are too salty (add more potato, simmer, the potato absorbs). I added a note about the texture of the final dish (thick, but spoonable, not pasty). I added a note about serving: "with white rice, not yellow; yellow rice with habichuelas is a mistake no one I love will make." I added a margin note: "Mami objected to this rule in 1994. She was wrong."

Sofía came Wednesday. She was eating at the hospital cafeteria almost every day now because the food is free to employees during shifts and because she is broke. I told her I would send her home with a week of food from my freezer at a time. She accepted. Tuesday night I packed her five containers — sopa de pollo, habichuelas, arroz con pollo, pernil, sancocho — and she took them to her apartment and fed herself for the week.

Mami on Sunday at dinner was quiet but present. She ate half a plate. She said, "I am tired, Carmen." I said, "Mami, you can go home early." She said, "No. Not yet. Let me sit." She sat for another forty minutes after eating. She listened to Eduardo read from the paper. She closed her eyes. She opened them. She said, "Carmen, I want to talk to Julio soon." I said, "Mami, we can call him." She said, "I mean longer. I want him to visit." I said, "Mami, Julio is in San Juan. He is seventy-six." She said, "I know. I want to see him again." I said, "Okay. I will talk to him."

I called Julio Monday. He will fly up in late May. A one-week trip. He has not been to Hartford in six years. Mami cried on the phone Tuesday when I told her. She said, "My baby brother." He is seventy-six. She is eighty-seven. They are still the big sister and the baby brother. Always. Wepa.

I packed five containers for Sofía that Tuesday night, and the one she texted me about first was the pork. She said it reheated perfectly, that the rice had soaked up everything. That is what good food does — it travels. This ginger lime pork with coconut rice is not my Tuesday habichuelas, but it is the same kind of dish: one pot, honest, deeply satisfying, the kind of thing you make a big batch of because someone in your life needs a week of real meals. It earned a page in the notebook too.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1-inch medallions
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 limes), plus zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon neutral oil (such as avocado or canola)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and black pepper to taste
For the Coconut Rice:
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
1 can (13.5 oz) full-fat coconut milk
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 scallions, thinly sliced, for serving
Fresh cilantro and lime wedges, for serving

Instructions

Marinate the pork. In a bowl, whisk together lime juice, lime zest, grated ginger, garlic, soy sauce, honey, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of black pepper. Add pork medallions, toss to coat, and let marinate at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes while you start the rice.
Cook the coconut rice. In a medium saucepan, combine rinsed rice, coconut milk, water, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and cook for 18 minutes. Remove from heat and let steam, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Sear the pork. Heat oil in a large skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Remove pork from marinade, reserving the marinade. Season pork lightly with salt. Sear medallions in a single layer, about 3 to 4 minutes per side, until cooked through and golden. Work in batches if needed to avoid crowding the pan.
Build the pan sauce. Reduce heat to medium. Pour the reserved marinade into the pan and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly. Return the pork to the pan and toss to coat.
Serve. Spoon coconut rice into bowls or onto plates. Arrange pork medallions over the rice and spoon the pan sauce over the top. Garnish with sliced scallions, fresh cilantro, and a wedge of lime on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Ginger Lime Pork with Coconut Rice — The Weeknight Pot That Travels Well