Sliced pork tenderloin is marinated in an Ethiopian Berbere sauce recipe and is quickly pan fried in a matter of minutes. Berbere sauce is a blended combination of oil, ginger, onion, garlic, and a ton of flavorful spices.
The Ethiopian inspired Berbere spice mixture / sauce explodes with flavor of mild heat and citrus (fresh lemon juice) and is one of my favorite marinades and dishes.
Use Berbere sauce on pork, chicken, eggs, lentils, or vegetables.
This Berbere recipe is inspired by a dear South African woman who got me interested in cooking. South Africa is far away from Ethiopia, but she cooked with these spices nearly everyday.
What is Berbere Sauce?
Berbere Sauce is an Ethiopian based spice mixture. It is red pepper based mildly hot ground spice blend originating in Ethiopia.
The basis of Berber sauce is ground chili (paprika in this case), mixed with several other ground spices: fenu greek, ginger, garlic, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, allspice.
Ethiopian Berbere sauce is mildly spicy, tangy, peppery, earthy, and a wee bit sweet. In this recipe, the ground spices are pureed with olive oil and lemon juice to make a complex chili based paste that has mind blowing taste.
Variations On Berbere Sauce with Pork
Berbere spice blends have a TON of ground spices. Don't trip out if you don't have something as your making it. Here's a quick substitution guide that may help out in a pinch:
- substitute dry mustard and/or fennel seeds for fenu greek
- substitute cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves for cardamom
- substitute cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves for all spice
This Berbere sauce recipe is used for sliced pork tenderloin. But, Berbere sauce can also be used on chicken, vegetables, or tofu.
How Hot Is Ethiopian Berbere Sauce?
The great thing about making your own berbere sauce is that you can control the heat.
Choose a mildly spicy paprika and go easy on the black pepper, garlic, and ginger if sensitive to heat.
Freeze Leftover Berbere Sauce
There are a lot of spices in this berbere sauce recipe. Make a double or triple batch of the pureed Berbere sauce. Freeze leftovers in small snack ziploc bags or ice cube trays and use it later.
The frozen berbere sauce stays good in the freezer for up to 4 months and makes for a quick and impressive sauce or marinade for nearly anything.
Berbere Sauce with Pork Tenderloin FAQ:
Color variations in berbere sauce are because of the dried chilies (paprika) and other spices used. Some paprikas spice blend are redder than others. Other spices and blends are dull or browner. Find the flavor you like and don't worry about the color.
Serving Suggestion
Serve this flavorful and tender Berbere Pork recipe with a complementary side dish like:
Things In My Kitchen:
- Food Processor - for blending up those spices.
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Ethiopian Pork With Berbere Sauce
EatSimpleFood.com
This Ethiopian Berbere pork recipe has a ton of flavorful spices mixed with oil to create a paste for a sauce. This Berbere recipe can be used on pork, chicken, eggs, lentils, or vegetables.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Ethiopia
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb pork tenderloin, sliced
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes - optional for heat
- ½ teaspoon fenu greek
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground all spice
- 2 tablespoon ground paprika
- ½ cup onions, diced
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoon ginger, minced
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Slice pork tenderloing thin.
- Add all ingredients, except pork, into a food processor or blender.
- Blend on high until a paste/sauce forms. Add a little oil or water for a thinner consistency if desired. Add more salt and lemon juice to taste.
- Marinate pork with sauce for at least ~ 15 minutes up to overnight.
- Bring a large pan to medium high heat, add vegetable oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan and add marinated pork.
- Cook uncovered, flipping once, for ~ 2-3 minutes or until seared brown on one side.
- Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until pork is cooked through or internal temperature of pork reaches 155F.
- Add salt to taste. Happy Eating! Beckie
Notes
Don't overcrowd your pan! Cook the pork in two batches if the pan is too crowded as you want it to sear and not steam.
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Color variations in Berbere sauce are because of the dried chilies (paprika) and other spices. Some paprika spice blend are redder than others. Other blends are dull or browner. Find the flavor you like and don't worry about the color.
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