Black pepper pork chop with onions on rice
The Hong Kong cha chaan teng classic at home — tenderised, marinated pork chops pan-fried and finished in a warming black pepper and onion sauce.
- 30 min
- Serves 2
- Pan-fry
- Easy
Why it suits you: Yang-deficient people feel the cold, especially in their hands and feet, and Grain Rain swings between damp and chilly, so lunch should warm you. Black pepper and onion are pungent and warm and dispel cold, the pork chop keeps you full, and choi sum stops it feeling heavy.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 15 min- 1Pound both sides of the chops with the back of a knife and snip through the sinew at the edges, then mix with the soy sauce, sugar, cornflour and 1 tbsp water and marinate for 10 minutes.
- 2Blanch the choi sum and plate it. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the chops over medium heat for 3 minutes a side until golden and cooked through; set aside.
- 3In the same pan, fry the garlic and onion until soft, then add the pepper, oyster sauce and 4 tbsp water and bring to the boil.
- 4Return the chops and turn to coat, then slice, lay over the rice, spoon over the sauce and serve with the choi sum.
Cautions
- Halve the pepper if you have a sore throat, spots or a dry mouth.
Chef's tips
- Tenderising the chops and cutting through the sinew stops them shrinking and curling in the pan.
The TCM view
Black pepper is pungent and hot; it warms the middle, dispels cold and clears phlegm. Onion is pungent and warm, moving qi and settling the stomach. Pork is sweet, salty and neutral and nourishing; garlic is pungent and warm and warms the stomach; choi sum is sweet and neutral and aids digestion. Warming spice with a gentle tonic — cosy without being drying on damp days.
