Braised Pork Shoulder with Kale

"There's nothing to eat in the house!" my husband said.

I went to the fridge and found little more than carrots, kale, pork and tomatoes. Well, I thought, why not just throw everything together in the pot and see what happens? To our surprise, it was the perfect meal for a cold winter day!


Braised Pork Shoulder with Kale Tweet this

Recipe by Tok-Hui Yeap, RD, LD

Ingredients

  • ½ teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ⅛ teaspoon white or black pepper
  • 1 pound pork shoulder, outer fat layer removed and cut into 1- to 2-inch cubes
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil, such as canola or safflower
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
  • 2 carrots, roughly chopped
  • 2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • ¾ cup low-sodium chicken stock
  • ¼ cup of water
  • 1 bunch kale, leaves removed and ribs discarded

Directions

  1. Combine sesame oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and pepper into a marinade. Pour over pork shoulder cubes in a large mixing bowl. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
  2. Heat a 12-inch skillet or a larger sauce pan to medium heat. Add cooking oil. When the oil starts to glisten, add the garlic cloves and sauté for 10 to 20 seconds. Then, slowly add in the marinated pork. Discard marinade liquid. If garlic starts to burn, remove it from the pan. 
  3. Sear the pork, about 15 to 20 seconds per side. Add carrots and tomatoes and continue stirring for another 30 seconds.
  4. Pour in chicken stock and water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and add in two-thirds of the kale. Cover and let simmer for 25 minutes.
  5. Add remaining kale. If you removed the garlic in Step 3, return it to the pan now. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serves 4.

Cooking Note

  • Adding some kale early (in Step 4) and the rest later (in Step 5) gives the dish a brighter green color. Skip this step if you prefer, and just add all the kale (in Step 4) at once and simmer for 35 minutes.
Tok-Hui Yeap on Blogger
Tok-Hui Yeap
Tok-Hui Yeap, RD, LD, is an Oregon-based registered dietitian and blogger. Read her blog, KinderNutrition.com.