Vietnamese Pork Chops  – The Woks of Life

This recipe for Vietnamese Pork Chops has the signature candy, salty umami depth of taste you discover on a Vietnamese restaurant’s pork chop plate. Prime it with scallion oil and loads of nuoc cham, and serve it with a couple of slices of cucumber, tomato, and steamed rice. That is undoubtedly one of many tastiest methods to make a pork chop! 

One among My Favourite Dishes to Order

There are a couple of unavoidable components it’s essential to make a very knockout Vietnamese pork chop: recent lemongrass and fish sauce specifically! 

Historically, annatto seed oil can be used to provide the pork chops taste and coloration. However I’ve discovered through the years that it’s difficult to trace down, even in a well-stocked Asian market. So I went forward and left it out. However if you happen to’re capable of finding it, you’ll be able to add a pair tablespoons to the pork chop marinade! 

The opposite nifty ingredient is condensed milk. I’ve discovered it’s a standard ingredient so as to add sweetness and to maintain the pork chops juicy. 

Seize Your Air Fryers!

Historically, Vietnamese pork chops are grilled. It really works effectively as a result of the pork chops don’t soak in their very own marinade liquid as they prepare dinner, and also you get a pleasant smoky taste. 

That stated, along with grilling, it is a very air-fryer-friendly recipe. In reality, I’ll go as far as to say it’s superb in an air fryer. 

The circulating warmth retains the pork chops caramelized on the skin and juicy inside, cooking them in simply 10-12 minutes. When testing this recipe, I used to be at all times happier with the outcome within the air fryer than within the frying pan. 

In the event you ARE utilizing a frying pan, simply don’t crowd the pan. One or two small pork chops at a time is good. Any greater than that, and the juices from the meat plus the sugar and condensed milk could cause the pork chops to steam slightly than sear. You may additionally wish to wipe down the pan between batches to select up any residual caramelized bits of marinade or darkened garlic that might wreck your subsequent batch. 

That’s why I really like the air fryer for this one! The one limiting issue is what number of you’ll be able to prepare dinner at a time. Hold the primary batch of pork chops heat below an aluminum foil tent whereas the others prepare dinner! 

Once you’re able to serve you possibly can even pile the pork chops that cooked earlier into the air fryer basket, and allow them to warmth by means of for 1-2 minutes in order that they’re all scorching after they hit the desk. 

Our Favourite Vietnamese Creators!

Andrea Nguyen of Viet World Kitchen and Ken Tran @Feedthepudge on Youtube are each nice assets for Vietnamese cooking. If you wish to make extras like Cha Trung (Vietnamese Egg Loaf) or Bi Heo (Shredded Pork Pores and skin), which you generally discover on Vietnamese Pork Chop Plates, undoubtedly take a look at Feedthepudge! And Andrea Nguyen has a terrific substack (Move the Fish Sauce) the place she frequently posts!

How you can Serve Vietnamese Pork Chops

I prefer to serve these the way in which they do on the restaurant. With an enormous facet of rice, scallion oil (we’ve included it within the recipe under), slices of crunchy cucumber and ripe tomato, and loads of nuoc cham to soak into the pork and rice and gown the veggies. It’s heavenly. 

In the event you’re craving rice noodles although, serve this over a mattress of rice noodles, lettuce, and crunchy greens the way in which Sarah does in her Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad. 

First lower a sequence of ½-inch (1cm) incisions across the perimeter of your pork chops. This prevents them from curling whereas they prepare dinner. In case your pork chops are thicker than a couple of half an inch, use a meat tenderizer or the again of your knife to pound them out to a ½-inch thickness. 

Add the pork chops to a big bowl together with the brown sugar, lemongrass, garlic, shallot, sweetened condensed milk, fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, onion powder, and pepper. Combine along with your palms till the marinade is well-mixed and the pork chops are well-coated. Refrigerate for not less than 4 hours, or ideally in a single day. 

Whereas the pork chops are marinating, make your scallion oil and nuoc cham. Each of those come collectively actually rapidly. Warmth a saucepan over medium-high warmth till a water droplet beads on the floor. Add your oil, adopted by the scallions. They’ll instantly sizzle up, however they shouldn’t flip darkish instantly, or your warmth is simply too excessive. Prepare dinner for 1 minute till the oil has permeated the scallions they usually’re vivid inexperienced. Take away from the warmth and use a rubber spatula to switch to a heat-proof bowl for serving. Stir within the salt. 

To make the nuoc cham, dissolve the sugar within the scorching water. Add the fish sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, and garlic. You too can add sliced chilies if you happen to like! Put aside. 

When you’re able to prepare dinner the pork chops, prep your sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, and begin your rice. 

Add the pork chops to the air fryer two at a time and air fry at 380°F for 10-12 minutes. When the primary batch of pork chops is finished, hold them heat below foil whereas the following batch cooks. When all of the pork chops are cooked, you’ll be able to pile them into the air fryer basket and allow them to warmth by means of at 380°F for two minutes so all of the pork chops are scorching after they hit the desk. 

If you wish to prepare dinner the pork chops in a skillet, preheat a pan over medium-high warmth. Add 2 tablespoon of oil, and prepare dinner one chop at a time for 4-5 minutes on both sides till brown and caramelized on each side, decreasing the warmth as wanted to keep away from burning. 

Serve the pork chops with the rice, cucumber, tomato, scallion oil, and nuoc cham. You too can prepare dinner up a fried egg if you happen to like!