FoodRef · Recipe
Crispy Pork Bites with Sweet Chilli Sauce
0 approve · 2 caution · 9 avoid
Standard deviation of the 11 scores. Higher = the diets disagree more.
The verdicts
Disapprove (9)
- DASH3.2
- Mediterranean3.5
- Vegan1.0
- Carnivore3.8
- Paleo2.5
- Keto2.0
- Low-FODMAP2.8
- Whole301.5
- Anti-Inflammatory3.0
Caution (2)
- Zone4.0
- GLP-14.2
Approve (0)
None in this range
Ingredients
- 600 g / 1.2 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 2cm/0.8" cubes (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (Note 2)
- 1 1/2 tbsp + 1/2 cup cornflour / cornstarch
- 1 cup neutral flavoured oil, 0.5cm / 0.2" depth (canola, sunflower, vegetable, peanut oil – not olive oil)
- 1/2 cup sweet chilli sauce (Note 3)
- 1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (Note 2)
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- Coriander/cilantro leaves, roughly torn by hand, optional
- Lime wedges, optional
- Jasmine rice, or other rice of choice
Instructions
- Toss the pork with the fish sauce, then the 1 1/2 tbsp cornflour. The coating should be a bit sticky.
- Crispy coating – Sprinkle over the 1/2 cup of cornflour and toss with fingers to coat each piece, separating pieces stuck together. Give each piece a light squeeze in your fist to make the cornflour stick – you can do 2 or 3 pieces at a time in each hand. Drop into a colander, then give it a shake to remove excess cornflour – important step. (Note 4)
- Heat 0.5 cm / 0.2" oil in a non-stick pan or large pot over high heat – dip a piece of pork in, it should sizzle straight away.
- 3 minute cook – Spread half the pork in the oil. Cook for 1 minute undisturbed until golden. Flip then cook for another 2 minutes (3 minutes in total, including time it takes to flip) or until golden and crisp. Don't overcook – tenderloin is lean!
- Drain – Remove with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel-lined tray to drain. Cook remaining pork. Taste-test one "just to check" crispiness! 😉
- Sauce – Pour out all the oil (strain and re-use, it's very clean). Return the pan to medium heat. Add the Sauce ingredients, stir and let it simmer for 2 minutes until it thickens into a syrupy consistency.
- Quick toss – Add pork, toss quickly to coat.
- Serve immediately over rice, sprinkled with a little coriander and a lime wedge. I like to serve it classic Thai street-food style with plain tomato and cucumber wedges (no dressing) – the freshness is great with this dish!
Diet-by-diet
High in sodium from fish sauce and sweet chilli sauce, plus deep-frying adds saturated fat. Lean pork tenderloin and rice are okay, but overall salt and refined starch coating push the score down.
Uses non-olive oil for deep-frying and includes refined cornstarch coating and sugary chilli sauce, which conflict with Mediterranean principles. Lean protein and garlic/lime are positives.
Contains pork and fish sauce — completely non-vegan.
Pork tenderloin is carnivore-friendly, but the cornstarch coating, sugary sauce, rice, lime, and garlic disqualify most of the dish.
Pork is paleo-friendly, but cornstarch, refined sugar in sweet chilli sauce, and white rice are not allowed.
Cornstarch coating, sweet chilli sauce (high sugar), and rice make this far too carb-heavy for keto.
Garlic, sweet chilli sauce (often contains garlic/onion), and lime juice in quantity are problematic. Pork and rice are fine, but the sauce is a major FODMAP trigger.
Cornstarch, sweet chilli sauce (added sugar), rice, and deep-frying all violate Whole30 rules.
Protein-to-carb balance is off due to rice and sugary sauce, but lean pork provides decent protein. Moderate score.
Deep-frying in refined seed oils, added sugar from sweet chilli sauce, and refined starches promote inflammation. Garlic and lime offer minor benefits.
Lean pork tenderloin offers good protein for satiety, but deep-frying, sugary sauce, and white rice reduce satiety quality and add empty calories.