Lunch Box
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A quick make-ahead lunch that uses Thai curry paste to pack big flavor into broiled pork skewers. [Photograph: Suzanne Lehrer]

Notes: To maximize pork-y flavor, I poured some of the collected cooking juices from the pork skewers into the vermicelli noodles. Never waste cooking juices if you can help it! Just make sure to line the baking sheet well with foil for easy pouring.

An admittedly unusual, but highly recommended use of these leftovers is for breakfast: Heat a small amount of canola oil in a frying pan, slip the pork off the skewers, and mix into the noodles. Stir-fry the whole thing, top with two fried eggs, and enjoy a breakfast of champions.

About the Author: Suzanne Lehrer is a writer and recipe developer in New York and a recipe editor for Cooking Channel. When not curating her budding hot sauce collection, she puts her French Culinary Institute education to good use in kitchens all around town. Follow her recipes and cooking adventures at TheSuzChef.com and on twitter @the_suzchef.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

About This Recipe

Yield: Serves 2
Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Special equipment: Metal skewers or bamboo skewers, soaked in water 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces vermicelli noodles
  • 1 tablespoon curry paste
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons zest plus 1 teaspoon juice from 1 lime
  • 10 ounces pork tenderloin, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick strips
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 to 3 radishes, julienned
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges

Procedures

  1. Preheat broiler to high and adjust a rack to 4-inch from element. Soak vermicelli noodles in warm water for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together curry paste, 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil, honey and lime zest and juice. Thread pork onto skewers; do not overcrowd. Sprinkle pork with 1/4 teaspoon salt on both sides. Brush top side with curry sauce; broil on foil-lined baking sheet until just beginning to turn opaque, about 1 1/2 minutes. Flip skewers, brush second side with curry sauce, and broil until just cooked through, about 1 1/2 minutes longer.

  2. Meanwhile, drain noodles. Bring small pot water to boil; add noodles and boil for 1 minute. Immediately drain and run under very cold water. Pour in 1 teaspoon sesame oil and add radishes and toss to combine. If desired, pour some of pork cooking juices into noodles and mix. Let pork cool, and then refrigerate with noodles in airtight container. Serve cold with lime wedges.