Easy and flavorful pork chops with lemongrass marinade paired with roasted vegetables. Authentic Vietnamese cuisine in 30 minutes, making this a perfect meal for busy nights.
Vietnamese food is the epitome of comfort food for me. I grew up eating homemade Vietnamese food on a regular basis. So whenever I’m craving a taste of home you can find me at our local Vietnamese restaurant or attempting to make pho at home. That is one dish I have yet to master. My mom never measures anything when she is cooking… so trying to get a ‘recipe’ from her is impossible. I can’t be the only one who has such a difficult time recreating certain dishes from childhood…. One day I will perfect pho… one day! But this pork recipe?? No issues here with achieving that authentic flavor!
Most Vietnamese dishes either require lengthy cooking time… you know, for that signature aromatic broth for pho, or specialty items like a perfect crusty French baguette for banh mi or rice paper wraps for fresh spring rolls. Not this recipe! This recipe is so easy to replicate at home. All you need to do is marinate the meat overnight and the next day cook it with the veggies. Serve it with rice and you have a complete meal in 30 minutes. That’s it! Super simple and no flavor is sacrificed.
Tips:
Sheet Pan Cooking Method (optional)– Don’t want to dirty an extra pan? Feel free to cook the pork chops on the sheet pan with the vegetables. Cook the vegetables for 10 minutes, gently stir the vegetables and push them to the sides of the pan making room for the pork chops. Add the pork chops and cook for 5 minutes. Flip the pork and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Pork Chops– If you were to order these Vietnamese pork chops in a restaurant more chances than not you will get a bone in chop. I use thin boneless pork chops to cut down on the cooking time. If you have extra time on your hand go for that bone-in chop and grill it over an open flame. The flavors of the slightly charred pork will be amazing!
Marinade– If you are short on time you can marinade the pork for 2 hours. However, I highly recommend that you let it marinade overnight. This will allow the lemongrass flavor to go through the pork.
Fish Sauce– This is a must! The smell can be off-putting, but don’t fret! We are using only a small amount and it adds umami (savory taste) to the dish. It won’t taste like fish, trust me! As you may or may not know, I despise fish. But I often add fish sauce to many Asian inspired dishes at home. It is a quintessential ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine.
Vegetables– Feel free to use any vegetables you have on hand. You want approximately 5-6 cups of raw veggies (once chopped). Some other vegetables that would be great are broccoli, snow peas, bell peppers, and mushrooms.
Ginger– Did you know you can freeze ginger? I keep it in a sandwich bag in my freezer. When I need to use it for a recipe, I just peel the outer skin (just the amount I need) with a vegetable peeler and then grate it on a microplane grater/zester. It is much easier than trying to finely mince it and the ginger last much longer in the freezer!
Sauce– Traditionally the pork chops are served with a Vietnamese dipping sauce, nuoc cham. This sauce consists of sugar, Thai chilies, fish sauce, water, and lime juice. The Hubs loves to have that extra heat to his Asian dishes. If you are the same, serve the chops with sriracha (chili sauce) or nuoc cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce).
Vietnamese Pork Chops with Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients
Pork Marinade- marinate overnight
- 5 thin boneless pork loin chops
- 1 3-inch lemongrass stalk cut in thirds and sliced
- 1 shallot thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Roasted Vegetables
- ½ tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon coconut aminos or soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger minced or grated
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 oz baby bok choy trimmed, leaves separated
- 4 medium carrots peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 oz green beans trimmed and halved
Instructions
Marinade
- In a gallon size resealable bag combined the pork marinade ingredients (lemongrass, shallot, garlic, fish sauce, coconut aminos, avocado oil, sesame oil, honey, and black pepper). Seal the bag, shake well to combine the ingredients, then add the pork chops. Reseal it (removing as much air as possible), shake the bag to coat all the pork chops in the marinade. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 2 hours or as long as overnight (the longer the better! I marinate mine overnight). Flip the bag over once half way through the marinating time.
Roasted Vegetables
- Preheat oven to 425F and lightly spray a large sheet pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combined avocado oil, sesame oil, coconut aminos, ginger, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add vegetables and stir to combine, ensuring all the vegetables are coated in the oil mixture. Place vegetables in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan.
Cooking
- Bake vegetables for 10 minutes. Gently stir the vegetables, and bake another 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a grill pan on medium heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Once oil has heated, add pork chops ensuring you leave the shallots and lemongrass behind in the marinade (discard marinade) and cook 3 minutes on each side, until browned and cooked through.