椒盐猪排 (Jiao Yan Zhu Pai)

Salt and pepper fried pork chops are a classic Cantonese restaurant dish which pairs crunchy fried pork with simple aromatics and a fragrant pepper salt. The pork chops are marinated, then lightly battered and fried quickly to keep the lean meat tender and moist. Here’s how to make this dish at home!

Ingredients

1 lb pork loin chops, ¼ in thick
**For the Marinade**
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine
**For the Dredge**
½ cup cornstarch
**For the Batter**
¼ cup flour
1 tbsp cornstarch
½ cup water
½ tsp white pepper
**For the Stir-Fry**
2 hot peppers
2 cloves garlic, sliced
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp white pepper
Vegetable oil

Start by cutting the pork loin against the grain into chops about ¼ inch thick. These chops can either be bone-in or boneless [1]. Take a moment to score any tendons or tough muscle fibers with your knife. This will help tenderize the meat and allow the marinade to penetrate more effectively. Place the pieces of pork in a shallow dish or bowl and pour over the soy sauce and rice wine. Set aside and let the pork marinate for about 15 minutes.

While the pork is soaking in the marinade, you can start preparing the other ingredients for the stir-fry. Thinly slice the garlic and peppers, making sure to remove the seeds and stems from the peppers before cutting them into rings. Any hot peppers will work in this dish—we employed a jalapeño and Fresno pepper for some mild heat and visual contrast.

Now, it’s time to make the batter that will coat the pork. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, ½ teaspoon white pepper, and about ½ cup of cold water. Whisk the ingredients together, making sure not to over-mix the batter—agitation encourages gluten formation, and too much gluten will turn the batter dense instead of light and crispy. When the batter is ready, set aside ½ cup of cornstarch in a separate dish. This will be used for dredging the pork before dipping it into the batter.

When ready to fry, heat about 2 inches of oil in a large pot or wok over medium-high heat, and bring it up to 375°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test the oil by dipping a wooden chopstick into it—if it sizzles and bubbles immediately, the oil is ready.

Once the oil is hot, we can begin to fry. Take one piece of pork at a time from the marinade and dredge it in the cornstarch, making sure to shake off any excess. This dry coating helps the batter adhere better to the pork. After dredging the pork, dip it into the batter, making sure it's evenly coated on all sides. Gently lower the battered pork into the hot oil, laying it away from you to reduce the risk of splatter.

Repeat with the remaining pork chops, being careful not to overcrowd the pan, as this can cause the oil temperature to drop. Fry each piece of pork for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally to ensure even cooking. The pork is done when it is golden brown on the outside and fully cooked through on the inside. Remove each piece from the oil and place it on a cooling rack, sprinkling while still hot with salt and white pepper.

When all of the pork chops are cooked, start 1 teaspoon of oil in a clean pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the sliced garlic and peppers and stir-fry for 1 minute, or until the aromatics are fragrant. Be sure to keep things moving so the garlic doesn’t burn. Arrange the pork chops on a serving plate, pour over the garlic and peppers, and serve immediately.

Substitutions

For additional numbing spice, add ground Sichuan peppercorns can be added to the salt and pepper mix. To make the dish less spicy, substitute a bell pepper or two for the hot peppers. Scallion is also a welcome addition to the stir-fry—chop scallions into 1 inch lengths and add them with the peppers.

[1] Traditionally, this dish is made with bone-in pork chops, which help keep the meat from drying out and impart additional flavor. However, cutting through pork rib bones at home is very difficult. You can ask your butcher to do it for you, but if you’re cutting at home, we recommend sticking with boneless pork loin.

Recipe

Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 15 min Total Time: 45 min
(+15 min inactive)

Difficulty: 3/5

Heat Sources: 2 burners

Equipment: pan, pot, thermometer

Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb pork loin chops, ¼ in thick

For the Marinade
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine

For the Dredge
½ cup cornstarch

For the Batter
¼ cup flour
1 tbsp cornstarch
½ cup water
½ tsp white pepper

For the Stir-Fry
2 hot peppers
2 cloves garlic, sliced
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp white pepper
Vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Cut the pork loin into chops ¼ inch thick. Using a sharp knife, score any tendons or tough muscles to help to tenderize the meat.

2. Marinate the pork pieces in a mixture of soy sauce and rice wine for 15 minutes.

3. While the pork marinates, thinly slice the peppers and garlic for the stir-fry.

4. In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1 tbsp cornstarch, ½ tsp white pepper, and ½ cup of cold water to make the batter. Whisk to combine, but do not over-mix. Set aside ½ cup cornstarch in a separate bowl for dredging.

5. Heat 2 inches of oil in a pot or wok over medium high heat, bringing the oil to a temperature of 375° F.

6. When you are ready to fry, remove a pork chop from the marinade and dredge in the dry cornstarch, shaking off the excess. Then dip each piece in the batter to coat, and lay it into the hot oil.

7. Fry each piece for 5 minutes or until the pork is fully cooked through. Remove to a cooling rack or plate and immediately sprinkle over salt and white pepper.

8. In a clean pan, heat 1 tsp vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and peppers to the pan and stir-fry for about 1 minute, or until the garlic is fragrant and the peppers have just softened.

9. Arrange the pork chops on the serving plate and pour over the fried garlic and peppers.