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Cherry & Dennis Recipes

Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chop Rice

越式香茅豬扒飯

Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chop Rice — finished dish
Total time
40 min
Difficulty
Easy
Servings
4 servings

Recipe overview

Pork chops are marinated with fresh lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce and a little sugar, then pan-fried until fragrant and brown. Serve with rice, cucumber, tomato and sweet fish sauce. Marinate at least 20 minutes and cook pork fully through.

01

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

  • 4, about 650 g Boneless pork chops
  • 800 g Cooked white rice
  • 180 g Cucumber
  • 250 g Tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp Cooking oil

Lemongrass pork marinade

  • 1 tbsp Fish sauce (for marinating pork)
  • 2 tsp Light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp Sugar
  • 1 tsp Honey
  • 1/4 tsp Black pepper
  • 1 tbsp Oil (for marinating pork)
  • 3 stalks Fine lemongrass
  • 3 cloves Garlic
  • 2 Shallots

Sweet fish sauce

  • 1 tbsp Fish sauce (for sweet fish sauce)
  • 1.5 tbsp Lime juice
  • 1.5 tbsp Sugar
  • 3 tbsp Warm water
  • 1 clove Garlic
  • a small amount,optional chilli

Scallion oil

  • 2 Scallions
  • 1 tbsp Oil (for scallion oil)
Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chop Rice — ingredients

02

Tools

  • Large frying pan
  • Spatula or tongs
  • Knife
  • Board
  • Meat mallet
  • Large marinade bowl
  • Small sauce bowl
  • Measuring spoons
  • Kitchen paper
  • 4 bowls or plates
Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chop Rice — tools

03

Steps

Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chop Rice — step 1

Step 1

Chop aromatics

Use tender lemongrass stalks; bruise and chop very finely with garlic and shallots.

Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chop Rice — step 2

Step 2

Trim pork

Pat dry, nick fatty edges and lightly pound chops to even 1–1.5 cm thickness.

Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chop Rice — step 3

Step 3

Mix marinade

Mix all marinade ingredients until sugar mostly dissolves.

Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chop Rice — step 4

Step 4

Marinate pork

Coat 4 chops and marinate at least 20 minutes; refrigerate 1–4 hours if longer.

Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chop Rice — step 5

Step 5

Prepare vegetables

Wash knife and board used for raw pork before slicing cucumber and tomatoes.

Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chop Rice — step 6

Step 6

Mix sweet sauce

Stir fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, warm water and garlic until dissolved.

Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chop Rice — step 7

Step 7

Make scallion oil

Warm scallions gently in oil 20–30 seconds.

Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chop Rice — step 8

Step 8

Heat pan

Preheat medium-high 45–60 seconds and add oil.

Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chop Rice — step 9

Step 9

Sear first side

Shake off excess wet marinade; pan-fry 3 minutes until golden.

Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chop Rice — step 10

Step 10

Flip and cook through

Cook second side 3–4 minutes; reduce heat if sugar darkens. Pork centre must cook through.

Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chop Rice — step 11

Step 11

Rest and slice

Rest cooked pork 3 minutes on a clean plate, then slice against the grain.

Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chop Rice — step 12

Step 12

Assemble rice

Serve rice with pork, cucumber, tomato, scallion oil and a little sauce.

Common mistakes

  1. Coarse lemongrass is tough.
  2. Uneven chops cook unevenly.
  3. Thick wet marinade burns.
  4. Maximum heat burns sugar.
  5. Brown surface may hide raw centre.
  6. Raw pork tools contaminate fresh vegetables.

Tips

Do not leave marinating pork at room temperature. Do not keep flipping the first side. Rest pork 3 minutes and refrigerate leftovers promptly.

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