Some of the feedback and requests I received from the readers are for more quick and easy recipes. The other day I made this pork chop after my children’s afternoon swim lesson, the busiest day of the week for me. Because of my mom’s visit, I haven’t had the chance to do my regular grocery runs so my fridge was pretty empty. I quickly ran to get some pork chops, spinach, and other ingredients from the market on the way home and I made this dish in less than one hour including marinade time.
As soon as I came home from the swim lesson, I quickly marinated the meat. Meanwhile, I bathed the kids and prepared miso soup, stir-fried garlic spinach, and another small side dish. My rice cooker has a timer so I set the rice to be done right before our dinner time. If you are curious about this pork chop flavor, it’s more on the side of salty flavor than sweet (like Teriyaki sauce). If you use this recipe, you definitely want to enjoy it with steamed rice. You can adjust the time for marinade as you like, but please do not marinade overnight, or else it will get too salty.
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Asian Pork Chop with Ginger Soy Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 boneless pork loin chops (½-inch thick)
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil (for cooking)
For the Marinade
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp sake
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- ½–1 Tbsp sugar (adjust according to your liking)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp ginger (julienned)
- ½ tsp potato starch or cornstarch
- 1 shallot (minced; or 1 Tbsp minced onion)
Instructions
- Before You Start…Please note that this recipe requires 1 hour of marinating time.
To Prepare the Pork Chops
- Prick 4 boneless pork loin chops (½-inch thick) with a fork so the meat will absorb the marinade. In a resealable plastic bag, add the pork chops and all the ingredients for the marinade: 3 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp sake, 2 tsp toasted sesame oil, ½–1 Tbsp sugar, 1 clove garlic (minced), 1 tsp ginger (julienned), ½ tsp potato starch or cornstarch, and 1 shallot (minced). Squeeze out the air before sealing the bag. Keep in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour; I don‘t recommend longer than that, as it gets too salty.
To Cook
- You can grill the pork chops on the BBQ or pan-fry them. For pan-frying, heat 1 Tbsp neutral oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the pork chops to the pan, removing the marinade from the pork chop as much as possible because it will end up “steaming“ the meat. Reserve the marinade in the plastic bag to make the sauce later. Do not touch the pork chops and give them a nice sear.
- Then, flip them and reduce the heat to medium low. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 3 minutes. You want to make sure the pork is cooked through, but do not overcook it as it will get very tough.
- Add the marinade into the pan and increase the heat to medium. Bring it to simmer and scoop the sauce with a spoon over the meat. Transfer the meat to serving plates. Continue to reduce the sauce until thickened.
To Serve
- Serve the pork chop with steamed rice and sautéed vegetables (I sautéed spinach with butter and seasoned with salt and pepper). Enjoy!
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
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