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Cantonese Garlic Chili Pork Chops 椒鹽豬扒

This tasty dish is a favorite of mine. The combination of garlic, chili, and five spice salt is just perfect!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Marinade Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Cantonese, Chinese
Servings: 1 plate

Ingredients

  • 1 kg pork chops pork shoulder
  • 2 tbsp veg oil
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • ½ tsp spicy bean paste (douban paste) (can substitute w sriracha or gochujang)
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp shao xing wine (can substitute w sherry)
  • ½ cup fried minced garlic
  • 1 cup chopped green onion (separate the whites and greens)
  • ½ tsp five spice salt (make your own by toasting 1t salt for 2mins, add 1t five spice, mix well)

Marinade

  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • ¼ tsp white pepper powder (can substitute w black pepper)
  • 1 t sugar
  • ⅕ tsp baking soda
  • 3 tbsp water
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch

Instructions

  • Tenderize pork chops with a meat tenderizer mallet or flat of your cleaver (should be half the original thickness)
  • Soak the pork chops in a salt and water solution (2T salt to 4 cups water) for at least 30 minutes
  • Wash the pork chops, drain of all the water and dry very well w paper towels
  • Combine all the marinade in a small bowl except the oil, mix well
  • Put the pork chops into a very large bowl, add ⅓ of the marinade, keep mixing by hand, and massage the pork until the marinade is absorbed by the pork, repeat until all the marinade is absorbed
  • Add 2 tbsp oil and mix well
  • Lay the pork in a bowl (each piece flat), cover and marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight in the fridge
  • Take the pork out of the fridge 15 minutes before frying to return to room temperature
  • Add 2 tbsp cornstarch to the pork and mix well
  • Heat about 1 in of oil in a large work
    (you can fry your 1/2 cup of minced garlic now, if you haven't already done so, stop frying once is barely golden, since it will continue frying after removed from the oil)
  • Once the oil reaches 180C, add all the pork chop gently, don't move the pork chops for about 1 minute
  • When the outside of the pork chop firmed up, gently break apart the pieces stuck together. Fry for a total of ~4 minutes. Set aside
  • In another wok or pan, heat 2T oil, add ½t spicy chili bean paste and 2T minced garlic, all the whites of the green onion, fry until fragrant, add 2T cooking wine
  • Add the pork chops, once the sauce coats pork, turn off heat, add the rest of the green onion and half the fried garlic, sprinkle on five spice salt
  • Mix well and plate. Sprinkle on the rest of the garlic.