INGREDIENTS
½ cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar⅓ cup thinly sliced shallots
¼ cup thinly sliced lemongrass
2 tbsp. peanut oil
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. fish sauce
1 tbsp. ground black pepper
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 lb. ¼″-thick pork blade chops, pounded thin ( 6 veprovych kotlet )
Cooked white rice and nuoc cham (Vietnamese chili-garlic sauce), fried eggs for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat ½ cup of sugar in a 1-qt. heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, swirling pan often, until sugar dissolves and turns to liquid caramel. Remove from heat; add ¼ cup boiling water. Return pan to heat; cook, swirling pan gently, until caramel dissolves in water. Remove from heat and let cool. Transfer to a food processor along with remaining sugar, shallots, lemongrass, oil, soy sauce, fish sauce, pepper, and garlic; purée until smooth. Place pork chops in a 9″ × 13″ baking dish and pour over purée; cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour or overnight.2. Heat a 12″ cast-iron grill pan over high heat. Working in batches, add chops; cook, turning once, until charred in spots and cooked through, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately with rice,fried eggs and chili-garlic sauce.
Vietnamese dressing
- 30 ml (¼ cup) fish sauce
- 30 ml (¼ cup) rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 70 ml (¼ cup) water
- 1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
- 1 red birdseye chilli, very finely chopped
- 1 tbsp lime juice
