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Salt and Pepper Pork Chops with Spicy Scallions
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The salt-and-pepper treatment is a Cantonese technique applied to meat, seafood and tofu. The protein typically is deep-fried, but here we opt to pan-fry pork that we first dust in cornstarch seasoned generously with Sichuan pepper, black pepper and cayenne. In a classic salt-and-pepper dish, chilies and garlic are quickly fried and tossed with the cooked protein for big, bold, in-your-face flavors. We, however, finish the pork with a fresh, punchy uncooked mix of sliced scallions, chopped cilantro, minced chilies, rice vinegar and grated ginger. The easiest way to grind the tongue-tingling Sichuan peppercorns for this recipe is in an electric spice grinder. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.
4
Servings
Don’t use thick-cut or bone-in pork chops for this recipe. Look for boneless pork loin chops that are ¼ to ½ inch in thickness. They sometimes are called pork cutlets.
45 minutes
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1
bunch scallions, thinly sliced
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1
cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
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1
Fresno or jalapeño chili, stemmed, seeded and minced
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2
tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
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1
tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
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Kosher salt and ground black pepper
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3
tablespoons cornstarch
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1
tablespoon sichuan peppercorns, finely ground
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½ - 1
teaspoon cayenne pepper
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½
teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
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8
boneless (about 1½ pounds) thin-cut pork loin chops/cutlets (¼ to ½ inch thick), patted dry
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⅓
cup grapeseed or other neutral oil
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01In a medium bowl, toss together the scallions, cilantro, chili, vinegar, ginger and ¼ teaspoon salt; set aside. In a wide, shallow dish, mix together the cornstarch, Sichuan pepper, cayenne pepper, five-spice, 2 teaspoons black pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Dredge the cutlets in the cornstarch mixture, turning to coat both sides and pressing so the mixture adheres, then transfer to a large plate, stacking or shingling as needed.
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02In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat the oil until barely smoking. Add half of the cutlets and cook until browned on the bottoms, 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, flip the cutlets and cook until golden brown on the second sides, about 1 minute. Transfer to a platter and tent with foil. Cook the remaining cutlets in the same way, using the oil remaining in the skillet. Spoon the scallion-cilantro mixture onto the chops and serve.
It was delicious. I bought 1/4 inch pork loins. I think next time I will pound them to be thinner. I did not have SICHUAN PEPPERCORNS. However, it still came out very good.