Recipe: Pan fried Pork Chop, served with lightly boiled Asparagus.

I love asparagus. I would always order them when i dine out because I had never cook them at home (till today). I havent tried to cook them again after my first not so tasty experience back in Singapore, when I was in college like over a decade ago. I had the small narrow ones and I had prob not bought the freshest of the lot and so it turned out chewy...

So today, after reading through this French cookbook that taught me how to prepare asparagus and cook them, I decided to give it a go and ....they turned out beautifully!!!! Apparently there are several ways to cook them but I reckon this simple French way is the best. Even without seasonings, the asparagus was naturally sweet and retains the crunch when bought fresh. I kid u not.

Unseasoned Boiled Asparagus & cherry tomatoes

Time to Cook both vege and meat concurrently: 15mins
Time to Prep: 10mins
Time to marinate pork: Minimal 2hours before hand.
Served 2 pax

Ingredients

- a pack of fresh asparagus that should be firm at the stalk, and no holes through the stalk.
- 1.5tbsp of salt.
- a pot big enough to lay the asparagus horizontally flat while cooking

Cooking Steps

- After purchase, fill a cup or container with cold water and stick asparagus upright until u are ready to cook them.

shaved asparagus upright in container

- Peel the asparagus from the stalk, use a small vege knife cut 1/16 into the layer to remove the woody chewy layer. As you move progressively up to the tip, the cut gets shallower. You should see the tender lighter green under surfacing as you slice away the top layer. Stick them back in the container.
Tip: Dont use peeler, it's not effective enough.

- Once peeled and ready,  Fill the uncovered pot with enough water to be able to cover the asparagus. that's prob abt 1/3 pot guide.

- Add the salt and bring to a boil.

- Add the rinsed peeled asparagus into the salted water pot. When the water starts to boil again, turn the heat down to low and simmer for about 10-12 mins, pot uncovered. (time depending on the thickness)

- To check if its ready, take one out. If your butter knife cuts into the bottom stalk, its cooked.

Remove from water and ready to serve.

Tip: If you like, u may pop the cherries into the hot water for a quick soak before serving. Read somewhere that cooked tomato skin delivers more antioxidants than uncooked ones. 

Tip: Asparagus can keep for another 20mins after cooking. If u are cooking ahead, you can dip the cooked asparagus in ice cold water to stop the ongoing cooking within the veg, and then quickly dip into hot water when ready to serve warm. 

Ingredients for the pan fried pork

- 2 pork chop with bone in (about 1 inch thick)
- half red onion
- a quarter cinnamon stick (optional)

Marinate sauce
- 1tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp of chinese rice wine
- 1 tsp of pepper
- dash of salt
- slightly under 1tbsp of light soy sauce (i used the kikoman less salt version)
- 1tbsp of sugar.
- 1 egg white

Cooking Steps

1. Mix all the sauces together. Taste for salty level and adjust to taste. Cut back the salt if too salty

2. Add the egg white and beat lightly together with the sauces.

3.  Pour the mixed sauce into the zip lock plastic bag and add pork in. Fully cover the meat with sauces to marinate.

4. Leave the marinated meat in fridge for at least 2 hours. Best 4 hours.

5. When ready to cook, add butter or olive oil or coconut oil to frying pan at medium heat

6. Add the pork. For me, I would cover the lid to ensure my pork is being cooked inside.
Note: Semi-cooked pork contains parasites that may host inside your brain...

7. Turn the flame down to low with lid covered so that you dont burnt your meat.

8. Flip over after about 5 mins, your skin would be nicely brown. Repeat for other side for another 5 mins.

9. Depending on your meat thickness, if yours is a thin slab, after 3-4mins on the other side, you could take it out and slice a little near the bone to check if its thoroughly cooked. if not, then give it the full 5 mins.

10. Remove from pan and rest the meat on the side.

11. Add the onion in the pan and quicky stir fry with a quarter of cinnamon stick till it is soft..

12. Add a little water to the marinate sauce left over and bring to boil with onion. Adjust taste as needed with salt or sugar. Because of the eggwhite, it will not be clear sauce, so filter and sieve off as preferred.

Dinner is served with rice.