RECIPE: Grilled Pork Kebabs with Fennel, Cumin and Coriander

If you don't already, you should subscribe to the NY Times Recipe Feed .  Many of their recipes are subscription-only, but a few are accessible to everyone, and they have unlocked more of them during this COVID-19 pandemic.  The recipe that inspired this one came through on that feed.

I made it as written and wasn't happy with the method (my food processor did NOT want to puree such a small amount) so I made a few changes.

Original recipe:  Grilled Pork with Fennel, Cumin, and Red Onion.

Grilled Pork Kebabs with Fennel, Cumin and Coriander

Serves 4

• 1 1/2 T. fennel seeds
• 1 T. cumin seeds
• 1 T. coriander seedsJuice and zest from 1/2 lime
• 1/14 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems plus more for serving
• 2 T. soy sauce, wheat-free Tamari, or coconut aminos
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 jalapeno chile, frozen and grated
• 1 t. honey
• 1 pork tenderloin, about 1.5 pounds, cleaned
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced, for serving.

In a dry frying pan on medium heat, toast the seeds until they're fragrant and slightly browned.  Cool.  Crush lightly in a mortar and pestle.  Transfer to a small bowl.

Mince the cilantro leaves until they're almost pureed, then combine them with the soy sauce, garlic, chile and honey.  Stir in the crushed spices. 

Add everything except the pork and red onion and stir to combine.

Cut the pork into 1" pieces and mix with the marinade, tossing to coat each chunk.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Heat a grill or broiler with a rack positioned 4" from the heat source.  Thread the pork onto skewers leaving a little space between each cube. Grill over the highest heat possible, or broil on high, for 2-5 minutes, then flip the skewers and continue cooking until the meat is browned and charred in spots. it should be just cooked through, slightly pink in the center.

I didn't bother with skewers - I just spread the cubes out on a rimmed sheet and turned them with tongs.

Serve with cilantro sprigs and onion slices.  I skipped the red onion and served it with mayonnaise and cilantro-jalapeno sauce.   On the side, I served sauteed celeriac.  My husband complains that celeriac always looks better than it tastes, but I love it!

NOTE: Cutting the pork into cubes meant it cooked very fast, and evenly, which is a good thing.  Next time I may try cooking the tenderloin whole. 

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