HK-Style Baked Pork Chop with Fried Rice

I’ve been making HK Style Baked Pork Chops forever using a recipe my mum gave me years ago. It’s written on letterhead paper from my first full-time engineering job so you are talking at least 15 years ago. Although it tastes pretty good it’s just not quite the same as when I order it in a restaurant.

Here’s a legible version of the recipe.

2 pork chops

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Sauce

3 tbsp ketchup

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp worchestire sauce

1 can campbell’s golden mushroom soup

Marinade

1 tbsp soy sauce (light)

salt

pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

flour

Fried Rice*

Pre-heat oven to 325F.

In a small bowl, mix the sauce ingredients together. Set aside. Marinade the pork chops for about 1 hour. Dip pork chop in egg and dust with flour. Heat a frying pan over high heat. Add oil and swirl pan around to cover entire surface. Add pork chops. Turn down to medium heat. Brown for 4 minutes; turn over and fry another 3 minutes.

Place fried rice in a snug fitting oven proof casserole dish. Place the pork chops on top. Cover evenly with the sauce mixture. Place uncovered in oven for 55 minutes.

Fried Rice:

Here is a simple version of fried rice.

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 coin sized ginger, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 C frozen peas

1 1/2 C cooked rice preferably at least a day old

salt and white pepper

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 egg, lightly beaten

Heat wok over high heat. Swirl in oil. Turn down heat to medium high and add ginger and garlic. Stir quickly so that it doesn’t burn. Add peas and stir fry a few minutes. Add rice and quickly stir fry, breaking up the rice to remove lumps and clumps. Add a pinch of salt and white pepper. Then add soy sauce and continue stir frying. Add more if you want. I use a squirt bottle and usually add more than what I have suggested here. If the rice sticks add a bit of oil along around the edge of the wok and continue stir frying. Create a well in the middle of the rice and add the egg. Let it set a bit and then mix in evenly and take off heat.

I decided to try to find something a little more similar tasting to what I get in a restaurant. I actually had a difficult time finding a baked pork chop recipe either in one of my many cookbooks, at various bookstores, or online. Finally I came across this recipe and thought it looked pretty good so gave it a try and adapted it for my own use.

4 pork chop (preferably thick cut duroc pork chop)
Fried Rice
a large handful of grated cheddar cheese (optional)
flour (enough to lightly coat pork chops)
canola oil for frying

Marinade
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp flour
2 tsp shaoxing wine
1/2 tsp grated ginger
pinch white pepper

Tomato sauce
4 tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
6 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400F.

Lightly pound each side of the pork chops with the end of a butcher knife.

Marinade the pork chops for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the garlic and onions.

Once translucent, add the tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes until softened, stirring frequently.

Add all remaining ingredients to the pan and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the sauce is cooking, heat a frying pan over high heat and add 2 tbsp of oil. Lightly flour the pork chop on all sides then fry for 3 minutes on one side and 2 minutes on the other.

Remove from heat and leave to rest.

Make fried rice. I used brown rice this time as I was trying to be somewhat healthy but normally I use long grain white rice.

Place the fried rice into an oven-proof dish and top with the pork chop. Pour over the tomato sauce to cover completely then sprinkle liberally with grated cheese if desired.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes (45 minutes – if thick cut) until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling. I didn’t add cheese this time.

Variation: After the tomato sauce has simmered the required time, puree the sauce in a blender.

Baked Pork Chop Rice is a Hong Kong diner classic which I adored as a child. It consists of a succulent fried pork chop resting on a bed of egg fried rice (sometimes with the addition of peas, mushrooms and onions), topped with rich tomato sauce and a generous sprinkle of cheese that’s baked until golden. Parmesan wouldn’t usually grace this western-inspired dish but that was all I had on hand, I would suggest using the more traditional mixture of grated cheddar and mozzarella which gives a lovely oozy cheese layer. I prefer pork shoulder steaks as I find them juicier and less likely to dry out, if you choose to use pork loin chops instead then bash them a bit before marinating to tenderise the meat.

Baked Pork Chop Rice
serves 1

1 pork shoulder or loin chop
1 1/2 cups cold cooked rice
2 tbsp frozen peas
a large handful of grated cheese
1 egg, beaten
corn flour (for dusting)
vegetable oil (for frying)

marinade:
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp corn flour
1 tsp shaoxing wine
1/4 tsp grated ginger
pinch white pepper

tomato sauce:
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1/2 tbsp worchestershire sauce
1/2 tbsp corn flour
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 200°C (392°F).

Mix together the marinade ingredients and leave the pork chops to marinade for 30-45 minutes.

To make the tomato sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and fry the garlic and onions gently, taking care not to colour them to much. Once translucent, add the tomatoes and fry for a couple of minutes until softened then add all remaining ingredients to the pan. Leave to simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the sauce is cooking fry your pork chop. In a shallow pan pour heat a 1-2 cm deep layer of oil on a high heat. Lightly flour the pork chop on all sides then fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden. Remove from heat and leave to rest.

In a wok or deep pan heat about 1 tbsp oil and fry the beaten egg and peas until nearly set, then throw in your rice and keep frying until combined and heated through. Lightly season with salt and white pepper.

Place the fried rice into an oven-proof dish and top with the pork chop (you may wish to slice it first at this point to make it easier to eat). Pour over the tomato sauce to cover completely then sprinkle liberally with grated cheese.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling. Enjoy straight from the oven.

Spare Ribs in Chili Sauce

I’ve had these spare ribs in the freezer for awhile and wanted to make something with them tonight. I decided to use my tried and true ribs recipe that I’ve had forever. It’s simple and tasty. I was too lazy to make a veggie so took a frozen pack of edamame and dropped into a pot of salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Drained and lightly sprinkled with kosher salt.

3 lbs side or spare ribs

1 bottle Heinz chili sauce (10 oz)

3 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp vinegar

3 tbsp lemon juice (1 lemon)

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

6 tbsp cold water

pinch of salt/pepper

1 onion, chopped

Preheat oven to 325F. Cut the spare ribs into individual ribs and trim any visible fat.Mix the remaining ingredients together in a casserole dish. Add the ribs  to the dish and coat with sauce mixture.  Cover and bake for 1 hr 45 min.

Even when you trim the fat, you will probably see a layer of fat on top. I usually use a fat skimmer to remove the excess fat. I then re-add the sauce to casserole dish. If you aren’t eating the dish that day then remove the ribs to a separate container and put the sauce in the fridge. The fat will harden on top after a few hours. Skim it off with a spoon and re-add to the ribs before reheating.

Hakka Restaurant

I had Monday lunch with my co-worker and we were talking about our respective weekends and she mentioned how she went with a group  of friends to this restaurant called Hakka that had opened a few months ago.  She raved about the food, said it was cheap ($20 per person “for a lot of food”) and particularly liked the pumpkin with salted egg. Her friend had found out about the place from an article in sfweekly.com.

I’m always looking for new restaurants to try (especially Chinese and in SF) so decided to round up a few friends to check it out. My email to one friend asking if his family wanted to join was simply titled “chinese food”. I got a group of 6 adults and 3 kids to go (including us).

When we got there, the place had one or maybe two other occupied tables.I was asked if I had a reservation and said no. We got one of the tables near the front door. The waiters were really friendly and nice. When everyone arrived, we ended up ordering pork bacon with preserved greens (served over bed of lettuce), lily bulbs with snap peas and wood ear (they didn’t have lily bulbs (?) and asked if they could substitute mushrooms), plate of gai lan, beef short ribs with black pepper and honey sauce, half order of chicken (salt baked? comes with sauce on the side which I think were pan drippings from the chicken?), seafood and tofu clay pot, clams dish (can’t remember the name), and pumpkin with salted egg. Our meal started with a pork based soup (“lo faw tong”).

Overall I enjoyed the meal very much. My two least favorite dishes were the short ribs and the chicken – found them only ok. Would like to try the chicken again though. Meal was $32 per couple including tax and tip.

Hakka Restaurant
4401 Cabrillo (at 45th Ave.), 876-6898. 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mon.-Thur., 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri.-Sun.

Braised Tofu with Ground Pork

I decided to try a new recipe called “Margaret Loo’s Braised Tofu and Mushrooms” taken from grace young’s The Breath of a Wok cookbook. I left out the mushrooms and added a bit of green onion but otherwise followed her recipe.

Ingredients

Tofu  (14 0z) (1 pack; medium to firm)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4lbs ground pork

1  tsp corn starch

1 1/2 tsp soy sauce (light)

canola oil

2 garlic gloves, minced

2 tbsp oyster sauce

2/3 C chicken stock

1/2 green onion, cut up in small circles

mix 1/2 tsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp water

Steps

Take the tofu block and cut it into 4 blocks. Take each block and cut them into 3 slabs. Salt them lightly and placed them on a paper towel to absorb the excess water. Combinethe ground pork,  corn starch, and soy sauce in a small mixing bowl. Set aside. Heat up a 12″ frying pan over high heat. Add a bit of oil to the pan and make sure it covers the entire surface. Place the tofu slabs in the pan. All the pieces should be able to fit. Pan fry each side for 3 minutes. It should take on a light golden color. Set aside on a plate lined with a paper towel. Turn the heat up high, add a bit of oil to the same pan and then the garlic and pork mixture. Stir fry for a few minutes breaking up the chunks and until all the pink is gone. Add the tofu and toss gently with the pork. Add the chicken stock and oyster sauce. Stir until combined. Turn down the heat to a medium simmer and cover for 2 minutes. Add the corn starch mixture, stir in, and simmer for 30 secs. Serve on a plate and sprinkle the green onion on top.

Roast Pork with Mui Choy

This is probably one of my top 10 favourite Chinese dishes. Here’s a simple method to make it where you purchase already made roast pork from the Chinese butcher. The key is to purchase the pork from a butcher that does it well or else the dish won’t have any flavor.

I’ve also made it from scratch as well but don’t have any pictures. I’ll make again and post.

1 bag mui choy (mustard green). Use 1/3 of it. Freeze the rest.
1.5 lb Roast Pork. Ask for roast pork near the bone.
Chinese cooking wine
Sugar

Rinse mui choy 5 or 6 times. Soak 10 minutes each time. Really scrub it to make sure it’s clean or else it’ll have this gritty texture. Slice the mui choy into thin pieces and place in bowl. Add chinese cooking wine and sugar. Mix well. Place mui choy on a plate. Top with sliced roast pork. Place a trivet in wok and add water. Bring to full boil. Place roast pork mui choy plate on trivet . Steam over medium heat (3 on the stove dial) for 1.5-2hrs. You can probably check it at 1hr 15 minutes.