Pork loves the salty, “meaty” flavor of soy sauce just as tomatoes love basil. This quick little sweet-and-hot marinade, fragrant from garlic and ginger, permeates and perfumes the meat, and helps it to caramelize over the heat. Flavored with crunchy vegetables, Quick-fried Rice makes a fresh one-pan accompaniment that is nutritious and provides great leftovers. Feel free to add a few stalks of celery or a cup of broccoli florets to the rice. If you’re pressed for time, plain white or brown rice is perfectly fine.
It’s always a good idea to pat dry a piece of meat before and after marinating. Before marinating, removing excess moisture from the meat ensures that the flavors of the marinade won’t get diluted. When it comes to cooking after marination, drying the meat ensures a crispier crust (overly moist meat has a tendency to steam) and also helps keep a sugary-sweet marinade from burning.
