This is the third post in my miso series. I've been showing three kinds of miso, each made with a different koji. This last one is rice koji miso, the kind you'll see most in stores.
A lot of people buy a tub of miso, make soup once, and then forget about it. So I wanted to show one more way to use it.
Here in the US, people often brine pork tenderloin so it doesn't dry out. I used miso instead. The salt in the miso keeps the meat moist, and the enzymes from the koji make it tender. It came out juicy and really soft.
The pork is good on its own, but I love mushrooms, so I made a cream sauce in the same pan. I didn't add any salt. The miso is the only seasoning.
Ingredients (serves 3 to 4)
For the pork
1 pork tenderloin (I used one pack from Trader Joe's, about 1 to 1.5 lb)
Rice koji miso, about 8% of the meat's weight (2 to 3 tbsp)
For the sauce
1/2 onion, finely chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup unsalted chicken broth
1 tbsp rice koji miso
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme
How I made it
Spread the miso all over the pork, cover, and keep it in the fridge overnight, or up to 2 days.
Wipe off the miso with a paper towel. Miso burns fast.
Sear the pork on all sides in a pan over medium heat, 6 to 8 minutes. Cover, turn the heat to low, and cook until the inside reaches 145°F, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Wrap it in foil and let it rest while you make the sauce.
In the same pan, cook the onion in the leftover fat until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook until golden.
Add the wine and let it cook down by about half.
Mix the miso into the broth and add it to the pan. Pour in the cream little by little, add the thyme, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until it thickens.
Slice the pork and spoon the sauce over it.