Vietnamese Pork Chop
Inspired by Inga's video testing the Beast Blender (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkJGyvWzwQI&t=150s, I just bought the blender myself recently), I decided to try making the Vietnamese pork chop. It was amazing and I'm so glad I made it. The pork chop was tender, juicy, sweet, salty, savory, with just the right amount of acid from the lemongrass paste to balance it out. Admittedly, I also really wanted to try this b/c I saw this beautifully marbled pork chop at hmart. It seems like an absurd amount of fish sauce at first (and it is quite pungent) but it works really well and gives the pork chop a lovely flavor. Goes great with rice and salad / lightly prepared or pickled vegetables, and this marinade would probably work well with other meats as well.
Active Time: 15 min
Total Time: 24 hr
Ingredients
> pork chop (1 lb)
> shallot (2, roughly chopped)
> garlic (2 cloves)
> brown sugar (1/4 cup)
> fish sauce (1/4 cup)
> soy sauce (1 tbsp)
> lemongrass paste (1 tbsp)
> neutral oil (1/4 cup)
> white pepper (a little bit)
Instructions
1. Cut small slits around the sides of the pork chop (this will help prevent the pork chop from curling up when you cook it)
2. In a blender, roughly pulse shallot, garlic, brown sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, lemongrass paste, and neutral oil several times until you get a slightly chunky consistency.
3. Marinade the pork chop in the mixture in the fridge, ideally overnight.
4. Sear the pork chop over medium-high heat, for about 5 minutes on each side.
5. Remove from the heat, let rest for a few minutes, slice, and enjoy!
Notes/Tips:
> I used roughly ~8 oz chops, about an inch thick each. I found that to be a good thickness, and ~5 minutes on each side was about right. You'll want to aim for an internal temp of around ~145F at the thickest point. The crust should be nicely caramelized
> Optionally, take some of the marinade, fry it up for a tiny bit, and top the pork chops with it. I didn't do this but it could add a bit of visual appeal.