cooking with mom #1: taiwanese pork chop dinner (with recipe)

My mom is a phenomenal cook.  I'm not just saying that because she's my mom but simply because it's true.  If my friends could come over to eat everyday, they would.  I'd like to think some of her skills have rubbed off on me, but alas, I know that is simply wishful thinking on my part.

My mom cooks by natural instinct, feel and taste.  She doesn't really follow recipes so it has been a challenge trying to learn to cook from her.  I realized long ago when she tells me to add a "pinch" of something, that it could mean anywhere from a literal pinch, or a cup or a handful....  I live in constant fear that I will never be able to replicate her delicious dishes, so I've decided to try to capture some of her best taiwanese dishes in a new series "cooking with mom".

To kick this off, my mom will be making one of my FAVORITE DISHES OF ALL TIME - Taiwanese Deep Fried Pork Chops.  My mom always tells me this is a super simple dish and she can't understand why all my friends clamor for an invitation on pork chop night. But I totally get it.  My mom's pork chops are damn good.



For a dinner for four, you will need the following:

Ingredients

• four pieces pork chop (approximately 1 inch thick)
• 1/2 tbsp rice wine
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• extra salt (optional - probably  not necessary with the soy sauce)
• 4 tbsp sweet potato starch (preferably made in Taiwan)
• 2 tbsp sweet potato flour (or regular flour works too)(preferably made in Taiwan)
• 3 cups vegetable oil
• optional for marinade- 1 green onion / 2 slices ginger

Preparation

• Prepare marinade (rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, water, black pepper)(add green onion and ginger if you wish)
  
• Tenderize pork chops (you can use a mallet, but my mom just uses her cleaver to give each chop a few whacks, and she'll also cut some of the tendons and tough white bits so they cook up more easily)

• Marinade pork for at least 20 minutes in refrigerator
• Mix starch and flour in bowl
  

 Cook

• Heat up oil.  My mom tests the temperature using wooden chopsticks - she says if the bubbles are fine and tiny, then it's ready.
• Coat each pork chop in the starch/flour mixture and drop in hot oil.
• Cook each pork chop for about 2-3 minutes until cooked through and golden brown.  (If the chop is very thick you will need to cook longer.)  She tests the pork chop with a toothpick - it's cooked if the juices run clear.
  
  
• Remove pork chop and drain some of the oil.  Then drop back in hot oil and cook for about 30 seconds.
• Drain each pork chop on paper towels and serve up!

My mom usually serves the pork chops with some stir fried cabbage, sweet pickled veggies, and steamed rice.  (In Taiwan they often serve it with a hard boiled egg steeped in soy sauce - yum! - but we don't do that at home very often.)  The mix of sweet, sour and savory is a classic Taiwanese taste.  Sometimes my mom will add some red chilis or flakes to the sweet pickled veggies to add a little extra kick.  (The sweet pickled veggies are made by buying pre-made "sour veggies" at a Chinese market and then sauteing them with loads of sugar and chile flakes.)

Here are a few other dishes she made at the same meal (stir-fried crab and lightly boiled shrimp).  Thanks mom!