Salt and Pepper Pork Chops

Adapted: I honestly can't say where anymore...

There is a talk show that I watch everyday. The shows moderator always used to go on about how he loves Salt and Pepper Pork Chops from his local Chinese restaurant and could eat them every day. Well, we are huge Chinese food fans in this house so I had set out to find a recipe for one and I did. I printed the recipe off, threw it in my binder and had forgotten about it for the longest time. Anyway, one day I was menu planning and came across a recipe for fried rice that I wanted to try. I had been very disappointed with the ones I had been making and this one looked a bit closer to what I was used to. With that I had an "AHA" moment and chose to try the pork chops with the fried rice. I couldn't believe how easy this recipe was, yet how tasty!

Note: A frying pan, liberally sprayed with cooking spray, can also be used instead of a wok.

Here was the result:

Ingredients:

Pork chops:

5 thin cut pork chops (I use bone in "thin cut"~these should be about 1/4 inch thick)
¼ cup flour
¾ cup cornstarch
¼ tsp regular salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup peanut oil
2 large green onions
2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tsp kosher salt


Marinade:

1/4 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp soy sauce
4 tbsp sherry

Directions:

1. Remove all of the fat from the pork. Lightly sprinkle both sides of all the chops with the garlic salt.

2. Place the chops in a Ziploc bag add the marinade. Let the pork marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature.

3. While the pork marinates, prepare the other ingredients. Rinse the green onions under cold running water and dry them with paper towels. Then cut about an inch from the tops of the greens and the very bottom of their bases and discard. Next cut the remaining stalks into small slices less than 1/8 inch thick and set these pieces aside.

4. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, regular salt and just one teaspoon of the ground black pepper. Set this mixture aside until the pork chops have marinated.

5. Dredge each pork chop in the flour mixture and set it on a rack or where the meat can "dry" before frying.

6. Once the pork chops "dry" (normally about 15 min), in a large non stick wok or frying pan, heat the oil on high. Oil should "shimmer"

7. When the oil is hot, slowly place 2 of the pork chops in the wok. Fry them for about 5 minutes each side. Mine actually cooked in about 3 minutes, but,  make sure that the pork is completely cooked through. Continue process until all chops are cooked.
.
8. After all the pork is cooked, remove all of the oil from the wok/pan except for 2 tablespoons. Heat this oil on high.

9. When the oil is hot, add the crushed red pepper, sea salt and green onions. Stir fry everything for just one minute. Then return the pork chops to the wok. Gently stir to coat the chops and let them cook for just 1 to 2 minutes, then remove them and serve.