Lemongrass Grilled Pork Chop Rice Plate

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Thin-pounded pork chops soak in a punchy lemongrass, garlic and fish sauce marinade, then hit a screaming-hot grill pan for caramelized edges in under 10 minutes. Piled over jasmine rice with quick daylily-pink pickles, cool cucumber and a bowl of nuoc cham to spoon over everything, it's the Vietnamese lunch-counter plate that tastes like it came off a charcoal grill on a Saigon sidewalk.

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in pork loin chops, about 1/2 inch thick (1 1/2 lb total)
• 2 stalks fresh lemongrass, tough outer layers removed
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 shallots
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp neutral oil, plus more for the pan
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 Thai chile or red jalapeño, thinly sliced

• 1 cup carrot, cut into thin matchsticks
• 1 cup daikon radish, cut into thin matchsticks
• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar or rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 cups jasmine rice
• 1 Persian or mini cucumbers, sliced on a bias
• 1 Roma tomato, sliced
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Make the pickles first so they have time to sit: whisk the vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, salt and 1/2 cup warm water in a bowl until dissolved. Add the carrot and daikon matchsticks, press them under the liquid, and let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes (or refrigerate up to 1 week).
2. Pound the pork: place each chop between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet to an even 1/4 inch thick. Pat dry. Thin chops are the whole trick — they cook in minutes and pick up char without drying out.
3. Build the marinade: thinly slice the tender lower 4 inches of each lemongrass stalk, then pulse in a mini food processor with the garlic and shallots until finely minced (or mince by hand very fine — no big fibers). Stir in the 3 tbsp fish sauce, brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, 1 tbsp neutral oil, sesame oil and black pepper.
4. Rub the marinade all over the pork in a zip-top bag or shallow dish. Marinate 30 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate 2 to 12 hours for deeper flavor. Bring back to room temperature 20 minutes before cooking.
5. Rinse the jasmine rice until the water runs mostly clear, drain, and cook with 2 1/2 cups water in a rice cooker or in a covered saucepan (bring to a boil, reduce to low, 15 minutes, then rest off heat 10 minutes). Fluff with a fork.
6. Whisk the nuoc cham: dissolve 3 tbsp sugar in 1/2 cup warm water, then stir in the 3 tbsp fish sauce, lime juice, minced garlic and sliced chile. Taste — it should be bright, salty and just sweet. Set aside in a small bowl.
7. Heat a cast-iron grill pan or heavy skillet over medium-high for 4 to 5 minutes until it just begins to smoke. Brush lightly with oil. Scrape the thickest clumps of marinade off each chop (they burn), then grill 2 to 3 minutes per side, pressing down for the first 30 seconds, until deeply caramelized and just cooked through (145°F at the thickest point). Work in batches, wiping the pan between rounds.
8. Rest the chops on a board for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the sliced scallions with any residual pan drippings and a splash of nuoc cham.
9. Divide the rice among 4 plates or shallow bowls. Set a pork chop alongside, then add a mound of drained carrot-daikon pickles, cucumber slices and tomato. Scatter with scallions and cilantro, add a lime wedge, and serve with nuoc cham to spoon generously over the rice and pork.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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