Thin, charred, crisp-edged bone-in pork chops are favorites across cuisines in Asia. Here, the flavor profile skews Chinese. Pork chops marinate in a mix of soy sauce, rice wine or dry sherry, a bit of sugar, garlic, and aromatic five-spice powder, with its touches of cinnamon and star anise. A whole egg also goes into the marinade—a variation on the Chinese technique of “velveting,” or coating meats before cooking, to keep them tender and juicy even after exposure to a hot pan. The final step: adding cornstarch to the marinade to complete the velveting process. Serve with steamed white or brown rice.
For more, check out our Easy Baked Pork Chops, Braised Pork Chops and Fennel, and Tuscan Grilled Pork Chops.
- Yield: 6 servings
- Difficulty: Easy
- Total: 1 hr
- Active: 30 mins
Ingredients (10)
- 6 bone-in pork shoulder chops, each ¼- to ½-inch thick
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 large egg
- 6 tablespoons cornstarch
- Canola oil, for pan-frying
Instructions
- Arrange the pork chops in a single layer in a shallow pan (it’s fine if they overlap). Whisk together the soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, salt, five-spice powder, garlic, and egg until combined. Pour over the pork, cover, and let marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and as long as 4 hours.
- Remove the pork chops from the marinade and onto a plate. Pour the marinade into a mixing bowl and whisk in the cornstarch until combine and there are no large lumps. Put the pork chops back in the pan they were marinating in, and the cornstarch mixture, and turn them around until they’re evenly coated.
- Set a grill pan over medium-high heat and add enough oil to come about 1/4 inch from the bottom. when the oil starts to shimmer, add half the pork chops. Cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining pork chops. Serve.
