GRILLED PORK KEBAB
with yoghurt and sumac sauce
Once marinated, the pork takes minutes to cook and with some fresh vegetables or prepareared salads, you can have a meal on the table in under 15 minutes. I like to have everything ready to go so that dinner time is a simple affair of grilling the pork and warming the pita. This is particularly handy if you’re feeding a lot of people, have the salads layed out so people can serve themselves while you prepare the pork.
The yoghurt and spice marinade adds a really nice acidity and a little bit of fattiness to this delicious, lean cut of meat. For garnishes, I added a tabbouleh for some brightness and a red pepper hummus but would be just as delicious kept simple with a few slices of tomato and sliced onions.
This recipe was created for a video series in collaboration with FoodBlog Malta. To check out the video series click the link here. The dish was originally put together with lamb fillets instead of pork but I couldn’t find any quality local lamb at the time of putting this recipe together (and pork tenderloin is a personal favourite of mine),
GRILLED PORK KEBAB with yoghurt and sumac sauce
INGREDIENTS
Shawarma spiced pork
- 2 Pork tenderloins
- 100 g Greek Yogurt
- 1 t Black pepper,
- 1 t Paprika
- 1 t Coriander, ground
- 1 t Cumin, ground
- 1/2 t Cardamom, ground
- 1/2 t Cinnamon, ground
- 1/2 t Nutmeg, ground
Sauce
- 50 g Yoghurt
- 20 g Tahini
- 15 g Lemon juice
- 1 clove Garlic, grated
- 1 tsp Sumac
- Pita
- 1 red onion, sliced
- Hummus
- Tabbouleh
METHOD
- Begin by combining the spices. Combine roughly 2/3 of it with the yoghurt to create the marinade for the meat.100 g Greek Yogurt, 1 t Black pepper, 1 t Paprika, 1 t Coriander, 1 t Cumin, 1/2 t Cardamom
- Pat the pork tenderloin dry and season liberally with salt. Coat the pork with the marinade and store in the fridge for2-8 hours.*2 Pork tenderloins
- While the pork is marinating, combine all of the ingredients for the sauce in a small mixing bowl.1/2 t Nutmeg, 50 g Yoghurt, 20 g Tahini, 15 g Lemon juice
- When you are ready to cook, remove the pork from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature.
- Preheat your grill, alternatively preheat an oven to 160C and a saute pan over high heat.
- Lightly oil the grill or add a tablespoon of oil to the pan. Lightly shake off any excess marinade clinging to the pork and place onto the grill or pan.
- Cook each side well for 1-2 minutes until the whole fillet is nicely browned.
- Continue to cook off of direct heat in a cooler section of the grill or transfer to the oven to continue cooking for 3-4 more minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reads 54C.
- Allow to rest for 3-4 minutes or until a thermometer reads 57C and slice into 1cm slices. At the last minute season the slices with additional salt and optionally some of the spices used in the marinade. Toast the pita on the grill or oven until warm and pliable.
- Assemble kebabs by spreading the hummus, adding the tabbouleh, layering on a few slices of pork and finishing with some sliced onions and your yoghurt sauce.1 clove Garlic, 1 tsp Sumac, Pita, 1 red onion
PRO TIPS
The cooking temperature recommended produces tender, medium-rare pork, my preferred method of enjoying pork tenderloin. Aim for an internal temperature of 60C if the idea of rare pork makes you squeamish. The tail end of the fillet will always be cooked more than the thicker cut, if you let people help themselves they’re usually good at picking the pisces they prefer themselves
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