One of my fave (kinda) local Indian restaurants turned me on to the wonder that is Manchurian Sauce – an Indo-Chinese sweet and sour sauce that is perfectly lovely on Shrimp, Tempura Cauliflower, and now…
Pork chops!
Pan fried pork chops, with sautéed onion and celery and rice with garlic sautéed asparagus on the side.
And it all started with a vintage recipe.
I came across an ad for a Sweet and Sour Sauce company for pan fried pork chops that looked pretty darned tempting; but then, I didn’t need to search out their sweet and sour sauce, because I had Manchurian Sauce in my pocket.
First, I trimmed and cut a bunch of asparagus into one inch pieces, and grabbed my fave large pan.
A drizzle of garlic infused olive oil over medium high heat, and then add the asparagus and sauté for ten minutes or so, until bright green and blistered in bits. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
INGREDIENTS
Garlic Ginger Paste:
•1 tbsp minced garlic
•1 tbsp minced ginger
•1/8 tsp turmeric
•1/8 tsp salt
Manchurian Sauce:
•1 tbsp olive oil
•1-1/2 cup diced sweet onion
•1 can diced green chiles, drained
•1 tbsp garlic ginger paste
•1 tbsp minced ginger
•1 tbsp lower sodium Tamari
•1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
•1/2 cup Sweet & Sour Sauce
•1/2 tsp curry powder
•1/2 tsp sugar
•1/2 tsp black pepper
•1/4 tsp salt
•2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water
Pork Chops:
•1 cup onion, cut in wedges
•1 cup celery, cut on the bias
•Manchurian Sauce
•Scallions
Stir the garlic ginger paste together in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat the olive oil (again, I used some garlic infused olive oil) in the pan over medium high heat and add the onion and chiles.
Cook, stirring often, for seven minutes or so, the stir in the garlic ginger paste, ginger, Tamari, vinegar, Sweet and Sour Sauce, curry powder, sugar, black pepper, and salt.
Reduce the heat and cook for a few minutes more before stirring in the cornstarch slurry. Cook until thickened a bit, then transfer to a jar and wipe out the pan.
So, still with me? Lovely sautéed asparagus, one really great sauce, and still one pan!
On to the chops…
Season both sides of the chops with salt and pepper and heat some more of that garlic infused olive oil in the pan over medium high heat.
Add the chops and cook for five or six minutes on each side, just until browned.
Next, and this is the cool bit (I think) reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and continue to cook the chops until tender.
I was this many years old before I knew that trick, and I am loving it!
Remove the chops to a plate to rest and keep warm-ish while you complete the dish.
Note: I had some rice going in the rice cooker with a bit of butter, salt, and Sherry Peppers Sauce. Once the cooker was done, I added the sautéed asparagus and left it on keep warm while finishing the pork.
Add some more of that garlic infused olive oil to your pan over medium high heat and cook the onion wedges and celery.
Sauté the veggies for about ten minutes, then stir in your Manchurian Sauce.
Add the chops, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until heated through.
Oh. My. Goodness!
Sautéed veggies. A pretty spiffy sauce. Pork chops. More veggies. And only ONE pan!
Well… two, with the rice cooker.
Serve the chops and the sauce with the garlic asparagus rice topped with scallions and chopped parsley.
A note on my Sweet and Sour Sauce: this is an Indo-Chinese inspired sauce, which I keep in a jar in the fridge. Feel free to buy a jar of your fave sweet and sour from the market.