Grilled Pork Skewers With Peanut-Basil Sauce

Name: Grilled Pork Skewers With Peanut-Basil Sauce
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 8 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients: 20 to 30 fresh basil leaves; 1/2 cup peanut butter, preferably chunky; 3/4 cup coconut milk; 2 tablespoons soy sauce, more to taste; 1 clove garlic, peeled; 1 inchlong piece of ginger, peeled; 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes; Juice of 1 lime, plus lime wedges for garnish; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 pound boneless pork shoulder or loin

By Mark Bittman

Total Time: 8 minutes
Rating: 5(362)
Comments: Read comments

Peanut butter is more than just a sandwich spread, or a perfect accompaniment to chocolate. It can also substitute for tahini or be a worthy addition to certain meats. Here, it serves as the basis of a dipping sauce and marinade, a counterbalance to smoky pork skewers. A great warm-weather dinner, it's ready in minutes, on the grill pan, the grill, or even the broiler.

Featured in: Exploring Peanut Butter’s Potential

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

20 to 30fresh basil leaves
½cup peanut butter, preferably chunky
¾cup coconut milk
2tablespoons soy sauce, more to taste
1clove garlic, peeled
1inchlong piece of ginger, peeled
½teaspoon red chili flakes
Juice of 1 lime, plus lime wedges for garnish
¼teaspoon salt
1pound boneless pork shoulder or loin

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
In a blender, combine all ingredients except pork and process until you have a smooth paste. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed: mixture should be salty, spicy and hot. Set about ½ cup of marinade aside to use as dipping sauce.
Step 2
Slice pork into 1-inch cubes and toss with rest of marinade until it is all well coated. Thread meat onto skewers, without crowding.
Step 3
Heat a grill, grill pan or broiler until quite hot; cook pork until brown all over, turning once, about 5 to 8 minutes total. Serve with reserved dipping sauce and garnish with lime wedges.

Ratings

5 out of 5

362 user ratings

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Comments

Lester7 years ago

Eight minutes to prepare? It takes me longer to wash my hands and get out the ingredients. Please be honest with prep times.

Margaux Laskey, Staff Editor7 years ago

Mark Bittman doesn't believe you need to marinate meat for a long period of time to get good results (he doesn't view marinades as tenderizers, but as flavor-enhancers). You certainly can let it sit for a bit, but it's not necessary.

Leslie7 years ago

Made this with chicken; excellent.

Julia4 months ago

made this with thai spicy pork salad (instead of that pork, i made this pork). REALLY GREAT. subbed out the dressing for that salad with the rest of the marinade for this pork. super light, flavorful. added fish sauce, more lime, & (don’t judge me) salsa verde from a taco truck to pork marinade.

Dan Urbach8 months ago

This is really good peanut sauce. Much better than I've had from any restaurant.

MSR10 months ago

Stuck to the grill. Be sure to oil the grates well before cooking

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