Lemongrass pork with rice paper salad

These sticky pork chops are super quick and easy - all you need is some steamed rice or noodles to complete the meal.

Lemongrass pork with rice paper salad Credit: One World Kitchen

• serves

  3-4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

For the lemongrass pork

• 2 stalks lemongrass, white core thinly sliced
• ½ small yellow onion, diced
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) honey
• ¼ cup (60 ml) fish sauce
• 3 tsp (15 ml) dark soy sauce
• 500 g thin-cut pork chops
• 2 tbsp (40 ml) vegetable oil

For the rice paper salad

• 1 ½ tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil
• 1 shallot, diced
• 10 sheets of rice paper
• 1 ½ cups peeled, julienned green mango
• ¼ cup dried beef jerky, shredded
• ¼ cup dried squid, shredded
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup mint, chopped
• ¼ cup roasted peanuts or cashews, crushed

Dressing

• 3 tsp (15 ml) chilli oil
• ¼ cup (60 ml) fish sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• ½ cup (125 ml) lukewarm water

To serve

• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 hard-boiled quail eggs, cut in half

Marinating time: overnight

Instructions

1. In a food processor add lemongrass, onion, garlic, honey, fish sauce and soy sauce. Purée until smooth.
 
2. Place pork chops in flat-bottomed dish and pour over purée. Cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge to marinate overnight.
3. Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil over medium-heat in a small saucepan. Add spring onion, lower the heat slightly, and sauté until browned.Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. 
   
   
4. Cut the rice paper into thin strips, as long or as short as you wish. Place in a large bowl.
   
   
5. To make the dressing, whisk together chilli oil, fish sauce, sugar, and water. Five to 10 minutes before serving, pour dressing over the rice paper strips and toss to coat evenly.
   
   
6. Add the mango, beef jerky, dried squid, spring onions, mint, shallots, peanuts and lime juice. Toss to coat evenly. add quail eggs and sea aside.
   
   
7. Add vegetable oil to a large grill pan over high heat. Cook pork chops over high heat, turning often, until just cooked, roughly 4-5 minutes.
 
8. Arrange pork chops on plate with the rice paper salad.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.