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Salt and Pepper Pork Chops with Spicy Scallions
The salt-and-pepper treatment is a Cantonese technique applied to meat, seafood and tofu. The protein typically is deep-fried, but here we opt to pan-fry pork that we first dust in cornstarch seasoned generously with Sichuan pepper, black pepper and cayenne. In a classic salt-and-pepper dish, chilies and garlic are quickly fried and tossed with the cooked protein for big, bold, in-your-face flavors. We, however, finish the pork with a fresh, punchy uncooked mix of sliced scallions, chopped cilantro, minced chilies, rice vinegar and grated ginger. The easiest way to grind the tongue-tingling Sichuan peppercorns for this recipe is in an electric spice grinder. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t use thick-cut or bone-in pork chops for this recipe. Look for boneless pork loin chops that are ¼ to ½ inch in thickness. They sometimes are called pork cutlets.
45 minutes
Ingredients
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1
bunch scallions, thinly sliced
-
1
cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Directions
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01In a medium bowl, toss together the scallions, cilantro, chili, vinegar, ginger and ¼ teaspoon salt; set aside. In a wide, shallow dish, mix together the cornstarch, Sichuan pepper, cayenne pepper, five-spice, 2 teaspoons black pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Dredge the cutlets in the cornstarch mixture, turning to coat both sides and pressing so the mixture adheres, then transfer to a large plate, stacking or shingling as needed.
Reviews
June 11, 2025
In regular rotation
Great weeknight dinner! I stir together the salt and all of the peppers and season the pork directly rather than seasoning the cornstarch. When I’ve done it as directed, the pork is not well seasoned. The spicy scallion sauce is fabulous (I sub parsley for the cilantro. ) I have chopped the scallions and herb by hand and have also made it in my mini food processor and we like it that way a little better. Its texture is more like a pesto.
April 25, 2024
Outstanding sauce
To keep it lower carb, I used 1 inch thick boneless loin chops that I cooked sous vide and seared with salt and pepper. No marinade, but added the marinade incredients to the sauce. Everything was terrific.
February 23, 2023
Absolutely outstanding!
I had no idea what flavor to expect as I've never cooked with Sichuan. I bought the whole peppercorns, but had trouble grinding them finely enough. Luckily, the Chinese market had some already ground. For those who needed to omit them - find them and make it again! It will make it a completely different dish! The only change I made to this recipe was swapping the pork for chicken, as I don't eat pork. I'm making this again tonight!
November 30, 2022
Delicious!
Really wakes up your run of the mill pork chop. Excellent seasoning and great taste.
January 2, 2025
Flavor packed
Just outstanding flavor and fresh. Absolute favorite in our family. Try it!
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It was delicious. I bought 1/4 inch pork loins. I think next time I will pound them to be thinner. I did not have SICHUAN PEPPERCORNS. However, it still came out very good.