Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Pork Chop with Onion Sauce
洋蔥豬扒
Recipe overview
Pork Chop with Onion Sauce is a common Hong Kong home-style dish. The pork chops are pan-fried until fragrant, then served with a slightly sweet onion sauce that goes well with plain rice. It is a good dish for helpers to learn because it practises three basic skills: marinating meat, pan-frying meat, and making sauce. The key is to tenderize the pork chops first, marinate them long enough, avoid very high heat, and simmer them briefly in the onion sauce so they become more flavourful and less dry or tough.
01
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 4 pork chops, about 500g
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 slices ginger
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 80ml water
Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce Marinade:
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce Marinade:
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar Marinade:
- a little white pepper Marinade:
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water Cornstarch water:
- 1 teaspoon cooking oil Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce Onion sauce:
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce Onion sauce:
- 1 tablespoon ketchup Onion sauce:
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar Onion sauce:
- 80ml water Onion sauce:
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch Marinade:
02
Tools
- Chopping board
- Kitchen knife
- Meat mallet or back of a knife
- Large bowl
- Small bowls
- Tablespoon
- Teaspoon
- Non-stick wok or frying pan
- Spatula
- Tongs
- Serving plate
03
Steps
Step 1
Prepare the ingredients
Prepare the pork chops, onion, garlic, ginger, and all seasonings first. The pan-frying and simmering time is short, so everything should be ready before turning on the heat.
Step 2
Tenderize the pork chops
Use a meat mallet or the back of a knife to gently tenderize both sides of the pork chops, especially the thicker parts. This helps the meat absorb flavour and prevents it from becoming too tough.
Step 3
Cut the edge tendons
If there are tendons or fatty edges around the pork chops, make a few small cuts with a knife. This helps prevent the pork chops from shrinking and curling during pan-frying.
Step 4
Marinate the pork chops
Mix the pork chops with light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, white pepper, and cornstarch. Add a little cooking oil at the end and marinate for 15 minutes so the meat has enough flavour.
Step 5
Slice the onion and aromatics
Peel the onion and cut it into thin strips. Chop the garlic and cut the ginger into fine strips. Do not cut the onion too finely, so it keeps some texture after cooking.
Step 6
Mix the onion sauce
In a small bowl, mix light soy sauce, oyster sauce, ketchup, sugar, and water. Prepare the cornstarch water separately and add it only at the end.
Step 7
Pan-fry the pork chops
Heat the pan, add oil, then place in the pork chops. Pan-fry over medium heat until one side is golden, then turn and fry the other side. Do not turn them too often.
Step 8
Set the pork chops aside
When the pork chops are about 80 percent cooked, remove them and set aside. They will return to the pan later, so do not cook them until dry at this stage.
Step 9
Fry garlic, ginger, and onion
In the same pan, fry the garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add onion strips and stir-fry until semi-translucent and slightly softened. Watch the heat so the garlic does not burn.
Step 10
Add the onion sauce
Pour in the pre-mixed onion sauce and bring it to a gentle boil. Stir lightly so the onion flavour and seasoning combine.
Step 11
Return pork chops to the sauce
Put the pork chops back into the pan and coat them with the onion sauce. Simmer over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes, spooning sauce over the top for even flavour.
Step 12
Thicken the sauce and serve
Slowly add the cornstarch water while stirring. Cook until the sauce is slightly thick and coats the pork chops. Plate the pork chops and pour the onion sauce on top.
Common mistakes
- Not tenderizing the pork chops, making them dry and tough.
- Not cutting the edge tendons, causing the pork chops to shrink and curl.
- Marinating for too short a time, leaving the centre bland.
- Using heat that is too high, burning the outside before the inside is cooked.
- Cooking the pork chops fully before simmering, making them overcooked at the end.
- Not frying the onion long enough, leaving it raw-tasting and not sweet enough.
- Adding too much cornstarch water at once, making the sauce too thick or lumpy.
Tips
The most important points are to tenderize the pork chops first and control the heat. Do not keep frying pork chops over high heat, or they will become tough quickly. Cook the onion until semi-translucent so it tastes sweet. For the first try, keep the seasoning slightly light and ask Ma'am or Sir to taste at the end. For children, cut the pork chops into smaller pieces before serving.
