Ingredients
1 1 lb pork tenderloin, silver skin removed
1/2 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
10 dried shiitake shrooms
3 T dark soy sauce
1 T sugar
3 whole star anise
6 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp white peppercorns
1 T peanut oil
2 T fresh ginger, finely minced
2 tsp cornstarch
10 sprigs cilantro, coarsely chopped
Preparation
Rub pork loin with salt and garlic. Set aside @ room temp 30 min. In a 2 qt saucepan, bring 1 qt water to boil. Turn off heat, add shrooms and let sit for 20 min. Cut off stems and squeeze to remove water. Strain shroom water into a 3 qt saucepan. Add soy sauce and set over low heat. Put sugar in Dutch oven over med high heat. Let sugar brown while stirring with a wooden spoon until it is a deep caramel color. Add soy sauce/water mixture and stir. Stir in star anise, cloves, cinnamon stock peppercorns, shrooms and 1/2 tsp salt. Simmer 20 min over med heat until sauce is reduced by 1/3 Turn oven to 200 Put a 12" cast iron skillet over med high heat. Add peanut oil. Brown pork on all sides. Put pan in oven until pork is 145 Remove pork and cover for 5-10 min. Strain reduced sauce, remove shrooms and slice. Regurn strained sauce to saucepan and add ginger. Bring to a boil over high heat. boil 30 seconds then reduce. Mix 1 T sauce with cornstarch. Add to sauce to thicken. slice pork and top with sauce. Garnish with cilantro
