CURRIED PORK CHOPS
Traditionally, curried chops are marinated in the curry sauce for a few days before being grilled over the coals to allow the sweet-and-sour taste to infuse properly. If my family members are craving these chops but don’t want to wait, I make them as below.
Serves 6 • Preparation: 35 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes
• 6 large pork loin chops (about 300g each, rind and excess fat removed)
• 30ml olive oil
• Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper
• steamed green vegetables and rice, to serve
SAUCE
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 125ml white wine vinegar • 60ml apricot jam
• 30ml chutney • 15ml mild curry powder
• 5ml turmeric • 2 bay leaves
• 5ml cornflour, mixed with 60ml water
1 Make the sauce Mix the onion with 125ml boiling water and cook rapidly until most of the water has boiled away and the onion is soft, but not mushy. Stir in the vinegar, jam, chutney, curry powder, turmeric and bay leaves; bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for a few minutes – keep an eye on it and stir as needed.
2 Stir the cornflour paste into the sauce, stir until smooth and cook for a few more minutes until thick. Remove from the heat.
3 Rub the chops with olive oil, salt and pepper until seasoned all over. Heat up a heavy-bottomed pan and fry the chops for about 5 minutes per side until golden-brown and almost cooked through; turn over as needed. Remember to sear the fat edge as well.
For lovely char lines and a smoky flavour, use a griddle pan for this step.
4 Pour the curry sauce over the par-cooked chops in the pan and simmer gently over low heat until the meat is cooked through and the sauce is thick and sticky. Remember, the thickness of your chops and how you prefer them done will affect the cooking time – use your judgment. These sweet-and-sour chops go well with steamed green vegetables and rice.
PLAN AHEAD Try to trim off the pork chop rinds in one strip, salt them well and leave uncovered overnight in the fridge to dry out. While the pork chops are cooking, place the dried rinds in the air fryer at 200°C for 15 minutes, then for 5 minutes at a time, until crispy and crackling. Serve these crunchy bites with the sweet chops. If you’re concerned that the strips will be too salty, remove any excess salt with a dry cloth before crisping them in the air fryer.