Pork and buccatini with coconut satay sauce

MUNCH RATING: 4/5

We had a spare pork chop in the fridge and whenever there’s any bits of meat hanging around I automatically think of cooking stir fries as it’s the easiest way to make it stretch.

But then I remembered a recipe I made with chicken and this is a variation on Chicken and noodles with coconut satay sauce. Instead of noodles I used buccatini, which is a really fat type of spaghetti and I love it because it reminds me of udon noodles.

Coating the pork in the egg white and flour isn’t necessary, but it gives it a nice coating and will ensure the meat is soft and tender.

• Serves: 2-3
• You will need: large wok or frying pan, small saucepan, medium saucepan 

Ingredients:

• 1 egg white (keep the yolks for a custard or something!)
• 2 teaspoons cornflour
• 1 large pork chop, cut into small 1cm cubes
• 1/3 of 500g pack of buccatini*
• 400ml can Coconut Milk Light/Reduced Fat
• 2-3 Tablespoons oil
• 2 Tablespoons Red Thai Curry Paste
• 2 shallots, peeled and sliced
• 2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
• a few mushrooms, sliced
• 2 small orange peppers, sliced
• 3-4 leaves of sweetheart cabbage, sliced
• 3 Tablespoons Crunchy Peanut Butter 

Directions:

1. Mix the egg white and cornflour in a small bowl until well combined. Add the pork and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Cook the pasta as per the pack instructions. Drain and keep warm.
3. Meanwhile bring the coconut milk to the boil in a small pan and simmer on a medium heat to reduce and thicken.
4. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and drop the pieces of pork individually into the pan so they don’t all stick together. Fry the pork for about 5 minutes, until crispy and golden brown – you might need to do this in batches. Set to one side.
5. Add a little more oil to the pan if necessary, then sauté the shallots until soft and brown. Stir in the Thai paste and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, then add the other vegetables and fry until vegetables are starting to soften.
6. Stir in the peanut butter, add the thickened coconut milk and return the pork to the pan.
7. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce is a nice consistency and the pork is fully cooked.
8. To serve: place the warm pasta between 2 serving bowls and ladle the sauce on top. 

COOK'S NOTES:

• If you can’t find buccatini (I’ve only been able to buy it from Sainsburys) then just use normal spaghetti, or of course just use noodles!