By CHRISTOPHER KIMBALL, Associated Press
The salt-and-pepper treatment is a Cantonese technique that can be applied to give almost any meat, seafood or tofu a crunchy exterior and tongue-tingling flavor.
The protein typically is deep-fried, but in this recipe from our cookbook “Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year,” we opt to pan-fry pork that we first dust in cornstarch seasoned generously with Sichuan pepper, black pepper and cayenne.
Related Articles
5 weeknight dishes: Turkey meatballs so tender you can cut them with a fork
St. Anthony Park cafe Hey Bear to shutter abruptly over rent dispute with landlord
Burnsville Cub to celebrate revamped grocery store with fanfare
The innovative ice-cream makers at Salt & Straw serve up secrets and recipes in a new cookbook
Budget meal: One-pot spaghetti makes inexpensive weeknight cooking a cinch
The starch granules swell when they come in contact with moisture released by the pork as it cooks; as the water evaporates, the starch settles into a rigid, locked network, creating a crunchy coating.
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.
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 thick. They sometimes are called pork cutlets. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.
Salt-and-Pepper Pork Chops with Spicy Scallions
This image released by Milk Street shows a recipe for salt-and-pepper pork chops with spicy scallions. (Milk Street via AP)
Start to finish: 45 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1 Fresno or jalapeño chili, stemmed, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns, finely ground
½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
8 boneless (about 1½ pounds) thin-cut pork loin chops/cutlets (¼ to ½ inch thick), patted dry
⅓ cup grapeseed or other neutral oil
Directions:
In 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.
In 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.
EDITOR’S NOTE: For more recipes, go to Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street at 177milkstreet.com/ap
Leave a Reply