Filipino-Inspired Sticky Pork Fillet
Pork fillet is one of my favourite cuts to cook with. It’s lean, incredibly tender, quick to cook, and absorbs flavour beautifully. When cooked properly, pork fillet remains wonderfully juicy while offering a clean, delicate flavour that works with almost any cuisine. It’s equally at home in a quick weeknight dinner as it is as the centrepiece of a weekend meal.
For this Filipino-inspired version, the pork is marinated in a combination of soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, brown sugar, honey, and banana ketchup (you can substitute with ketchup or tomato sauce), creating a glaze that is sticky, savoury, slightly sweet, and packed with umami. The result is beautifully caramelised pork with a glossy finish and irresistible flavour in every bite.
I served mine with creamy mashed potato, lemon butter asparagus, and a sprinkle of crispy fried garlic granules for extra texture and crunch. The beauty of pork fillet is its versatility — it pairs effortlessly with vegetables, rice, salads, noodles, or your favourite seasonal sides.
Ingredients:
Pork
- 500-700g pork fillet (tenderloin)
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp banana ketchup (or regular ketchup)
- 1 tbsp honey
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp calamansi juice or lime juice (optional)
- Chilli flakes, to taste (optional)
Optional Sauce
- Reserved marinade
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp cold water
To Serve
- Creamy mashed potato
- Lemon butter asparagus
- Crispy fried garlic granules
Method :
- In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, banana ketchup, honey, garlic, black pepper, sesame oil, calamansi juice (Lime juice is just as good), and chilli flakes if using.
- Add the pork fillet and coat thoroughly in the marinade.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. For maximum flavour, marinate overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Place the pork in a baking dish and pour over any remaining marinade.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, turning and basting halfway through cooking.
- For extra sticky, caramelised edges, place under the grill for 3-5 minutes at the end of cooking.
- Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes before slicing
Optional Sticky Sauce
Don’t let that flavourful marinade go to waste.
- Pour the cooking juices and reserved marinade into a small saucepan.
- Add 1 cup chicken stock and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Mix the cornflour and water together to form a slurry.
- Slowly whisk the slurry into the simmering sauce.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes until thickened and glossy.
- Spoon generously over the sliced pork before serving.
Serving Suggestion
Serve thick slices of the sticky Filipino-inspired pork fillet over creamy mashed potato with lemon butter asparagus on the side. Finish with a generous drizzle of the glossy sauce and a scattering of crispy fried garlic granules for texture.
Sweet, savoury, garlicky and packed with umami, this is a simple way to transform a premium pork fillet into a meal that feels comforting, impressive and full of flavour.
