As Head Chef and co-owner of East Fremantle’s Young George, Melissa continues to garner plenty of praise for her inventive and flavoursome food and zero waste skills, as she fosters a growing army of satisfied customers.

This oriental-inspired saltbush pork dish from Young George’s Melissa Palinkas will leave all your friends wanting more.

While you’re whipping up this tasty meal, learn a little bit more about Melissa and her approach to cooking with WA produce.

Saltbush pork tenderloin with mandarin glaze & multigrain fried rice

Prep time: 25 mins, including pre-cooking and cooling time

Cook time: Around 10 mins

Serves: 4, generously

Ingredients

• 4 free range Plantagenet Pork fillets, trimmed
• Saltbush stems, leaves removed (keep a few on top)

Tip: The stripped stems of saltbush or rosemary make great skewers for meat and veggies. They pack more flavour into a dish and are kind to your purse and the environment.

Mandarin glaze

• 2 seedless mandarins, juiced
• 2 tbsp local honey
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• Freshly ground black pepper

Multigrain fried rice

• ½ cup red and white quinoa
• ½ cup puffed grains
• ½ cup brown rice
• 250g peeled cauliflower stalks and leaves, finely chopped
• 250g broccoli stems, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 bunch spring onion tops, sliced

Fried rice seasoning

• 2 tbsp Chinese wine
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp ginger, microplaned
• 2 cloves garlic, microplaned
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil for cooking

Preparation

Pork: Cut fillets into medallions, skewer onto saltbush stems and set aside.

Glaze: Combine all ingredients, whisk well and set aside.

Quinoa and rice: Cook according to packet directions. When cool, mix together and stir in puffed grains and set aside.

Seasoning: Combine all ingredients, whisk well and set aside.

Method

• Drizzle a hot pan or skillet with olive oil. Apply glaze to skewered pork with a pastry brush.
• When the oil is hot, place the skewers into the pan, glaze side down. Cook for 2-3 minutes, brushing on more glaze once or twice.
• Turn skewers over and cook for another 2 minutes then remove from the pan to rest. They’ll need at least 2 minutes resting time.
• Meanwhile, sautee the stalks, stems and leaves in some olive oil in a separate pan.
• Stir through the multigrain rice mix, add the spring onion tops and lightly stir fry.
• Add the fried rice seasoning and stir fry until the rice and vegetables are coated, the spring onion tops are slightly wilted and the rice is heated through.

To plate

Spoon a generous portion of rice onto the plate, place a saltbush pork skewer on top and drizzle over any leftover glaze to serve.

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