This Pork Rice Bowl with Peanut Sauce is ready in 30 minutes! Starts with quick-cooked pork tenderloin in a peanut butter and coconut milk sauce, served with sautéed spinach and cilantro lime rice.

Pork Rice Bowl with Peanut Sauce in bowl with chopsticks.

Why you’ll love this Pork Rice Bowl!

  • This is one of my favourite rice bowls, as it’s both quick and easy and delicious!
  • This is also a 30 minute meal! The pork actually cooks up in about the same time as it takes to cook the rice (20 minutes), so everything is ready in a flash.
  • The sauce is lick the spoon delicious. You’ll want to put it on everything :)

Ingredients and Substitutions

Pork Tenderloin – you’ll need one medium to large pork tenderloin for this recipe. Be sure to remove the silver skin along the side of the pork tenderloin, for even cooking.

Coconut Milk – I recommend full-fat coconut milk, for this nicest sauce, though lite coconut milk will work fine here (with a little thinner, less rich sauce). The recipe calls for 1 cup, which is not quite a full can in most cases. Be sure to stir your full-fat coconut milk well before measuring out the 1 cup. Freeze any remaining coconut milk. It great to use for a future Thai curry.

Peanut Butter – regular, smooth peanut butter produces the best results in my opinion. You could use crunchy peanut butter, if you like the extra texture of the peanuts in the sauce. I haven’t tested this recipe with natural peanut butter, but I suspect it will work fine here. You may need to add more water to thin the sauce if using natural peanut butter.

Rice – use your favourite rice for the rice bowl. Long grain white or brown rice, Basmati or Jasmine rice are all great options.

Spinach – I love quick sauteed spinach for rice bowls, as it’s a super quick addition and nutrient rich, but any vegetable you like or have around is fine.

Cook’s Notes

You can cook the pork in the oven under the broiler, on a BBQ grill or in a grill pan on the stovetop over medium high heat. As the pork is butterflied, it is very thin, so it cooks up quickly.

I served quick sautéed spinach with my rice bowl, but any vegetable you like or have around is fine. I quick sauté the spinach in a skillet with a bit of olive oil and salt for about 1 minute, or until wilted.

Steam, roast or microwave any green or vegetable you like for your bowl!

Pork Rice Bowl with Peanut Sauce in bowl with chopsticks.
Pork Rice Bowl with Peanut Sauce in bowl with chopsticks.

Get the Recipe: Thai Pork Rice Bowl with Peanut Sauce

Quick easy and delicious pork rice bowl, starts with one pork tenderloin and adds a quick peanut coconut milk sauce, cilantro lime rice and quick sautéed spinach to the bowl.
5 stars from 4 ratings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 large pork tenderloin, or 2 small

Pork Marinade and Sauce:

  • 1 cup coconut milk, stirred
  • 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 3 Tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander

Cilantro Lime Rice:

  • 1 cup basmati rice
  • 2 cups water
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 2-3 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley

Sautéed Spinach:

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 3 handfuls baby spinach
  • Salt and pepper, to season

Instructions
 

  • Start Rice Cooking: On the stove-top or in a rice cooker, add 1 cup basmati rice to 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt.
  • Prepare the marinade: Combine all the marinade ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well combined. Set aside.
  • Prepare the pork: Trim the pork tenderloin of any visible fat and remove the silver skin. Using a sharp knife, butterfly the pork tenderloin by cutting lengthwise, almost, but not all the way through, so the halves remain attached. Lay tenderloin flat and cover with a piece of plastic wrap. Pound with a meat tenderizer or a heavy skillet until uniformly thick (1/2-3/4 inches thick). Place the pork onto an aluminum-foil lined baking sheet (for easy cleanup) and pour 1/3-1/2 of the prepared marinade over top. Set aside the remaining marinade. Flip pork over a couple of times so it is well coated in the marinade. Let marinate for at least 10 minutes at room temperature or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a longer period (up to 8 hours ahead of cooking).
  • Preheat broiler: Turn on the oven broiler and Position the with oven rack in the 2nd from the top position.
  • Place pork under broiler for 10-12 minutes, or until temperature of meat reaches 145° (do not flip). *If grilling on an outdoor BBQ grill, place onto hot grill and cook, turning once, until lightly charred and cooked through (6-8 minutes). Remove cooked pork to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil to rest. After it has rested and just before serving, use a sharp knife to slice into strips.
  • Take the remaining marinade and pour it into a small saucepan. Add 2 Tablespoons of water to the pan and stir. Bring sauce to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low to keep warm.
  • When rice is cooked, remove to a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss well to coat. Pour lime juice over-top and sprinkle with cilantro or parsley. Toss well to combine.
  • For the sautéed spinach, heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add spinach, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until spinach wilts, about 1-2 minutes.
  • To serve: Place cilantro lime rice in the bottom of a bowl. Top with sliced pork. Spoon warm peanut sauce over-top. Serve with quick sautéed spinach or any other steamed green. Serve with a lime wedge for garnish/squeezing on top.
Cuisine: Thai
Course: Main Course
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 695kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 71g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Cholesterol: 196mg, Sodium: 286mg, Potassium: 1476mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 10IU, Vitamin C: 5.2mg, Calcium: 53mg, Iron: 5mg
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