Free recipe at the back

The teriyaki recipe I found on the Maggi website, and I will not lie: the dish turned out great. It goes without saying that I used natural (and very Japanese) ingredients instead of the recommended Magic Sarap, perhaps making the sauce closer to authentic than I had any right to hope for. Been on the lookout for good teriyaki sauce recipe, see, and this hit the jackpot. The kitchen gods move in mysterious ways, indeed amusingly so.

Too bad it was (still is, in fact) the full moon and I couldn’t find grouper or snapper, because I was looking to replicate a dish I once had at Ma’s friend Jane’s. Out came the last of my standby tenderloin, sliced half an inch thick (the meat flattens so easily). The aromatics for the sauce I grilled, including the ginger and garlic, plus red finger chili (cut lengthwise along one side for heat). Meanwhile, I boiled a mixture of water, mirin, brown sugar, and soy sauce, along with a strip of kombu (a type of Japanese seaweed) and some katsuobushi (bonito flakes) — the last two to make up for the omission of Magic Sarap; if you’re familiar with dashi, that is exactly what they amount to. I also held off on the sesame oil until I had reserved a quarter cup of the liquid to marinate the meat with (but only after the still-watery liquid had cooled), then stirred in cornstarch slurry with the rest and simmered some more until reduced and properly saucy.

When it came time to cook the meat, I used charcoal in lieu of the electric grill. Do I need to remind you that tenderloin cooks in a flash? In this case, only two minutes on each side over open flame — and never mind if they do not look cooked (really charred) enough (they are), the sauce conceals that well. Also, refrain from returning the cooked meat to the saucepan — plate them outright and spoon warm sauce over when ready to serve.

Pork Tenderloin Teriyaki

Adapted from a Maggi recipe for fish teriyaki. If you can’t get hold of Japanese seaweed and/or bonito flakes, substitute with a sachet of hon-dashi. As with any dish involving pork tenderloin, do not overcook the meat.

• 500 grams pork tenderloin, sliced into ½″ rounds
• salt and pepper
• vegetable oil

For the sauce:

• 1 small carrot, sliced ¼″ thick lengthwise
• 1 yellow onion, sliced ½″ thick
• 1 spring onion
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 thumb-size ginger, crushed
• 1 red finger chili
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 small piece kombu
• 1 sachet katsuobushi (bonito blakes)
• ½ teaspoon cornstarch, dispersed in 1 teaspoon cold water
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil


• sesame seeds, toasted
• spring onion, to garnish

1. Coat spices (plus sliced carrot) with oil and grill until nicely charred on both sides. Transfer to hot saucepan with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and sauté until softened. Add the rest of sauce ingredients, except cornstarch and sesame oil, and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Strain sauce and discard solids. Reserve ½ cup for use as marinade (let cool first) and return the rest to the pan with cornstarch slurry, simmering with constant stirring until sauce is reduced by about a third and no longer too watery. Stir in sesame oil. Set sauce aside.
3. Season sliced tenderloin with salt, pepper and reserved sauce. Let stand for at least an hour, then grill over open charcoal flame for 2 minutes each side. Plate and pour sauce over. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped spring onion.