Vietnamese-Style Pork Chops with Cucumber Salad
Fresh, vibrant and full of Southeast‑Asian flavour, this Vietnamese‑Style Pork Chops with Cucumber Salad recipe is a deliciously quick dinner that combines juicy marinated pork with crunchy, herby salad and light jasmine rice. The pork chops are marinated in a fragrant mix of garlic, red chilli, lime juice, soy and fish sauce, brown sugar and peanut oil, then char‑grilled to caramelised perfection. Fresh ribbons of cucumber mingle with mint, coriander, red onion and toasted peanuts to create a lively, crunchy salad that cuts through the rich pork. Serve everything with steamed jasmine rice and lime wedges for a bright, balanced meal that’s ideal for warm nights or easy weeknights.
Ingredients
- 4 (about 250g each) Otway Pork chops, rind off
- 2 Lebanese cucumbers
- ¾ cup coriander leaves
- ½ cup mint leaves
- ½ small red onion, cut into very thin wedges
- 1/3 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
- Steamed jasmine rice and lime wedges, to serve
Vietnamese marinade ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 small red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil or sesame oil
Method
Place pork into a large snap lock bag. To make the marinade, combine all ingredients in a screw-top jar. Shake until well combined. Reserve ½ cup marinade. Pour remaining marinade into the snap lock bag, seal and shake to coat the pork. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the cucumber salad, using a vegetable peeler, slice cucumbers length-ways into thin ribbons. Combine cucumbers, coriander, mint and red onion in a bowl. Chill until ready to serve.
Heat a greased char-grill plate or barbecue over medium high heat. Add pork and cook, brushing with remaining marinade, for 8-10 minutes or until just cooked through. Transfer to a plate, cover and set aside to rest for 5 minutes.
Serve pork with thinly slice cucumber salad, peanuts, reserved Vietnamese marinade, steamed Jasmine rice and fresh lime wedges.
Recipe courtesy of Australian Pork Limited.
