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Meaty with a dash of veggies

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Meat Lunch / Dinner Main Courses

Sweet sour fried pork chops

Published: 07.11.2018 » Last updated: 08.23.2022

The inspiration for this dish came via the Venice episode in Season 2 of Netflix's Somebody Feed Phil.

Sweet sour pork chops inspired by a dish featured in Season 2 of Somebody Feed Phil

The show’s host, Philip Rosenthal, revisited Da Arturo which, he said, “For some reason is legendary with Hollywood types.” With an introduction like that, I was expecting some hyped-upchichiplace that “Hollywood types” patronize. But, no, Da Arturo is nothing like that.

Mr. Rosenthal revisited Da Arturo to enjoy the pork chops he had there two years earlier, and to show viewers how the dish was cooked. “The best pork chops the world has ever seen,” he described it.

A huge pork chop, bone-in, was pounded, floured, dipped in egg, coated with bread crumbs and fried until golden and crisp. The oil was poured off the pan and the pork chop was doused with white vinegar which got soaked up fast in the heat. That’sthe best pork chops the world has ever seen?

Frying floured or breaded meat and then soaking it in seasoning might sound counter-productive but, believe me, it works. The Japanese chicken nanban is cooked that way and this fried pork chops dish is prepared in pretty much the same fashion.

Drying pork chops with paper towels before seasoning

Start by wiping the surface of your pork chops with paper towels. Removing excess moisture will make the starch stick to the meat better. And you want that to happen so that a light crisp crust can form on the surface of the meat during frying.

Dredging seasoned pork chops in flour before frying

Season your pork chops then dredge in starch. Remember to shake off excess flour as you want the coating to be light but even.

Fry the pork chops on both sides until the surface is golden and crisp. Don’t overcrowd the pan, you want the chops in a single layer without touching one another. If your pan cannot accommodate all the chops in one go, fry them in batches.

Braising fried pork chops in vinegar and soy sauce

When all the pork chops have been fried, pour off the oil from the pan and boil soy sauce, rice wine, rice vinegar and sugar in it. Lower the fried pork chops in the sauce (again, do this in batches so that the chops are in a single layer) and cook for half a minute per side.

Full recipe below

Sweet sour fried pork chops

Connie Veneracion
Inspired by a dish featured in Season 2 of Somebody Feed Phil, pork chops are fried then cooked in vinegar. My version has soy sauce and rice wine added to the vinegar.
Butterflied boneless pork chops, each cut into two equal portions, were used here.
You may optionally serve the excess sauce on the side for dipping.
Sweet sour pork chops inspired by a dish featured in Season 2 of Somebody Feed Phil
Print
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 20 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Fusion
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 4 pork chops - about 800 grams total if boneless, 1 kilogram if bone-in
  • salt
  • pepper
  • ⅓ to ½ cup corn starch
  • cooking oil - for frying

For the glaze

  • ¼ cup rice wine
  • ¼ cup rice vinegar
  • ¼ cup light soy sauce - I used Kikkoman
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar

To garnish

  • sliced scallions
  • toasted sesame seeds

Instructions
 

  • Press both sides of the pork chops with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
  • Sprinkle the pork chops on both sides lightly with salt and pepper.
  • Toss the pork chops in corn starch.
  • In a wide frying pan, heat enough cooking oil to reach a depth of at least an inch.
  • Over high heat, fry the pork chops in hot oil (in batches if your frying pan cannot accommodate all of them at once), about two minutes per side (a minute longer if rather thick) until the surface turns golden and crisp.
  • Scoop out the fried pork chops and move to a rack.
  • Pour off the cooking oil.
  • Mix together all the ingredients for the sauce and pour into the pan. Boil for about a minute.
  • Drop the fried pork chops into the boiling sauce making sure they do not overlap. Cook for half a minute then flip over to cook the other side for another half a minute. Do this in batches so that every inch of the pork chops get soaked in the sauce.
  • Serve the pork chops over rice topped with sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds.
Print
Keyword Pork Chops

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Connie Veneracion, Chiang Mai, 2020

Hi, I’m Connie!

Welcome to Umami Days, a blog that advocates innovative home cooking for pleasurable everyday dining. No trendy diets, no food fads and definitely no ludicrous recipe names like crustless quiche, noodleless pho or chocolate lasagna.

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