The salt-and-pepper remedy is a Cantonese approach utilized to meat, seafood, and tofu. The protein sometimes is deep-fried, however right here we decide to pan-sear pork that we first mud in cornstarch seasoned generously with Sichuan pepper, black pepper, and cayenne.
In a basic salt-and-pepper dish, chiles and garlic are rapidly fried and tossed with the cooked protein for large, daring, in-your-face flavors. We, nevertheless, end the pan-seared pork chops with a contemporary, punchy raw mixture of sliced scallions, chopped cilantro, minced chiles, rice vinegar, and grated ginger.
The simplest approach to grind the tongue-tingling Sichuan peppercorns for this recipe is in an electrical spice grinder. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.–Christopher Kimball
Salt and Pepper Pork Chops FAQs
We advocate you keep on with boneless loin chops or cutlets which are 1/2- to three/4-inch thick. They’ll cook dinner rapidly and evenly.
5-spice is a mix of herbs and spices, 4 of that are cinnamon, fennel, star anise, and cloves. Usually, you’ll see Sichuan (Szechuan) peppercorns or sand ginger because the fifth spice.
Serve these straightforward pan-fried pork chops with steamed rice and a cucumber salad for a straightforward weeknight meal.
Stop your display from going darkish
-
In a medium bowl, toss collectively the scallions, cilantro, chile, vinegar, ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
-
In a large, shallow dish, combine collectively the cornstarch, Sichuan pepper, cayenne pepper, five-spice, black pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt.
-
Dredge the cutlets within the cornstarch combination, turning to coat either side and urgent so the combination adheres, then switch to a big plate, stacking or shingling as wanted.
-
In a 12-inch (30-cm) nonstick skillet over medium-high, warmth the oil till barely smoking. Add half of the cutlets and cook dinner till browned on the bottoms, 2 to three minutes. Utilizing tongs, flip the cutlets and cook dinner till golden brown on the second sides, 1 to 2 minutes extra. Switch to a platter and tent with foil. Cook dinner the remaining cutlets in the identical approach, utilizing the oil remaining within the skillet.
-
Spoon the scallion-cilantro combination onto the chops and serve.
Serving: 2 chopsEnergy: 541 kcalCarbohydrates: 9 gProtein: 61 gFats: 28 gSaturated Fats: 5 gMonounsaturated Fats: 7 gTrans Fats: 0.1 gLdl cholesterol: 177 mgSodium: 863 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 0.4 g
Vitamin data is routinely calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
Recipe © 2022 Christopher Kimball. Photograph © 2022 Eric Wolfinger. All rights reserved.
Recipe Testers’ Critiques
These pan-seared salt and pepper pork chops had been pleasant. They had been crisp and flavorful and the spicy scallions added a refreshing chunk.
The spicy scallions can be a beautiful addition on their very own to any roasted or grilled meat or poultry. I anticipated the pork chops to be tremendous spicy after the addition of the spices and opted for just one/2 the cayenne, subsequent time I’ll add extra. There will probably be a subsequent time.
This was a meal that got here collectively rapidly and was undoubtedly greater than the sum of its elements. My household was more than happy, each the spice-loving husband and the spice-averse faculty pupil.
I used to be excited to do this pork chops recipe as a result of I really like all issues Sichuan, and since it’s such a fancy ingredient to cook dinner with, I used to be trying ahead to making an attempt a brand new methodology – Cantonese. Total, it was such a straightforward and quick recipe – an awesome choice for a fast weeknight dinner with out being only a boring pork chop.
The Sichuan within the pork coating was the right quantity to get the hallmark tongue-tingly numbing impact with out being overpowering, and the spicy scallion garnish was an ideal zingy, cool, and contemporary accompaniment that rounded out the flavors fantastically. I did discover that the seasoned cornstarch coating was not fairly sufficient for all of the pork chops. I’ll double the recipe subsequent time in order that the chops are evenly coated and get the crunchy pan-fried consistency the recipe guarantees.
These Sichuan salt and pepper pork chops had been FANTASTIC!!! The scallion combination had a pleasant punch and spice that went effectively with the heat of the five-spice powder. The cornstarch combination allowed the chops to type a fantastically brown and crispy exterior. Get able to wow your style buds!
I ended up making this dish twice and every time they didn’t find yourself as crispy trying as the image however that didn’t matter, I made this for a second time as a result of it was that tasty!
This pork dish had the right stability of spice on the precise chops which was nice since you might alter the spiciness stage general by including as little or as a lot of the scallion-cilantro combination served on high. This was very easy to organize as effectively. I served it alongside my spicy Korean cucumber salad and steamed rice. This pork dish goes to be in our rotation of straightforward Asian recipes.
I’m all the time in search of nice dinner concepts that don’t take quite a lot of time or effort. On the finish of any workday, as a lot as I do take pleasure in making issues within the kitchen, I discover I don’t all the time have the power for making ready something time consuming.
These salt and pepper pork chops are precisely the form of meal I really like, with some effort concerned, however not a ton, and loads of nice taste to take pleasure in. The dredging combination has quantity of kick from Sichuan, cayenne, and black pepper, plus five-spice powder, however the half that actually took it excessive and made me crave the leftovers was the scallion combination.
Actually, as a lot as I additionally loved the pork chops, I’d fortunately eat the scallion combination by itself over rice. I beloved that there was loads of it for every pork chop, too. That is undoubtedly value repeating.
