Juicy Marinated Pork Kebabs (with Peanut Noodle Salad)
These grilled pork kebabs are everything I love in a dinner: bold, balanced, and totally doable on a weeknight. The pork is marinated in a tangy, slightly spicy blend of tamari, maple syrup, and sriracha, then grilled until deeply caramelized. Served over a creamy peanut noodle salad with crunchy vegetables and fresh herbs, this meal delivers on flavor and texture in every bite.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Marinade and peanut dressing
- 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons low-sodium tamari or soy sauce divided
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey divided
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fish sauce divided
- 1 tablespoon neutral vegetable oil
- 3-4 teaspoons sriracha divided, plus more for serving
- 2 garlic cloves divided
- 1 pound pork tenderloin or boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1 ½-inch chunks
- 1 teaspoon coarsely chopped ginger
- ½ cup creamy natural peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Salt
- ½ cup water plus more as needed
Noodles
- 8 ounces soba noodles or spaghetti (see the Tips)
- 1 small red bell pepper very thinly sliced
- ½ small English cucumber very thinly sliced
- 1 cup lightly packed coarsely chopped fresh cilantro and/or mint, plus more for serving
- ¼ cup thinly sliced scallions
- ¼ cup finely chopped peanuts
Instructions
Marinate the meat
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of the tamari, 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup, 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce, the vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon of the sriracha. Using a microplane, grate in one of the garlic cloves. Add the meat pieces and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
Make the peanut dressing
- In a mini food processor or high speed blender, add the remaining whole garlic clove and the ginger. Process until finely chopped.
- Add the peanut butter, lime juice, remaining 2 teaspoons tamari, 2 teaspoons maple syrup, 2 teaspoons fish sauce, and 1-2 teaspoons sriracha (to taste). Season lightly with salt (the fish sauce is salty, so you won’t need much). Process until smooth. Add the water—if your peanut butter is runny, cut back on the water slightly; you can always add more at the end. Process until smooth, scraping the sides once or twice (the dressing should be the texture of a rich heavy cream). Do Ahead: The peanut dressing can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Bring it to room temperature before serving (it will thicken in the fridge).
Cook the noodles and grill the kebabs
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat, and bring a large pot of water to a boil. Thread the marinated pork or chicken onto skewers and pat lightly dry with paper towels.
- Cook the soba noodles in the boiling water according to the package directions. Drain and rinse well in cold water. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Grill the kebabs (covered), turning occasionally, until they’re browned and caramelized, about 6-8 minutes total.
- Measure out ¼ cup of the peanut dressing and set aside. Pour the remaining dressing over the soba noodles and toss to coat. Fold in the peppers, cucumbers, cilantro and/or mint, and scallions. Taste and season the noodles with salt and pepper as needed.
- Divide the soba noodle salad onto plates, and arrange the kebabs on top or alongside. Drizzle the kebabs with the reserved peanut dressing, and sprinkle everything with chopped peanuts and more herbs. Serve with sriracha for drizzling.
Notes
- For the best flavor, marinate the meat for at least 1 hour or for up to 4 hours. If you’re entertaining, you can marinate the meat then assemble the kebabs and refrigerate them for several more hours before grilling (bring the kebabs to room temperature before grilling).
- You can use bamboo skewers or metal skewers for the kebabs. If using bamboo, soak them for at least 1 hour so that they don’t burn on the grill.
- No grill? No problem. Drain the marinated meat, pat it lightly dry, then cook it in a well-oiled skillet.
- You can use either soba noodles or spaghetti. Soba noodles are made with buckwheat flour and have a toasted, nutty flavor. If you’re gluten-free, be sure to check the ingredient list, as many brands incorporate wheat flour—I use Eden brand, which is made with 100% buckwheat flour. Spaghetti will be a more mild, but holds up a bit better in the dressing.
- The soba noodle salad is best eaten right away, since the dressing thickens up as it sits.
- Feel free to swap out the cucumber and bell pepper in the salad for other crunchy vegetables, such as sliced radishes, julienned carrots, and/or blanched green beans.
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