HK Style Baked Pork Chop on Rice

I grew up eating this pretty much in every Cha Chan Tangs (HK Style Cafes) in Richmond. It seems like a bold statement but honestly, its not that crazy. Unlike the bustling streets of Hong Kong, Richmond has only a few HK Style Cafe’s. On the top of my head, I can count only about ten. Okay, thats not a few, but compared to Hong Kong, ten would be nothing! It’s like saying “gelato is in every corner of Italy!” Well, yes, it is because Italians invented gelato!

This is a classic Asian spin on a Western pasta dish that will only make you come back for more. Juicy, fried pork chop coated with tomato-garlicky sauce and lots and lots of melted cheese. All embedded on white jasmine rice. Fried rice would definitely be more authentic. But we’re talking Simple TOR Recipes here. So I’ll go with the fast and simple approach. It’s good either way! I mean, you might wanna feel extra tonight, who knows?

Hong Kong Style Baked Pork Chop on Rice

A classic Hong Kong baked dish made with fried pork chops on rice, all covered in a sweet and delicious tomato sauce topped with cheese. It’s comfort food in 30 minutes and might transport you to that nostalgic Hong Kong cafe.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 cups rice, cooked
pork loins, pounded to ~1cm thick in height (marinated: soy sauce, mirin, sugar, white pepper, corn starch, ginger – optional)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 large yellow onion, sliced
3 large tomatoes, sliced
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp tomato paste
3/4 cup water
1.5 tsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water (mixed) — note tsp = teaspoon, tbsp = tablespoon
1 cup cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large non-stick pan, drizzle 1 tbsp vegetable oil and fry pork chops under medium/medium-high heat. 4 minutes on each side. Note: If you have an air fryer or oven, bake at 325F for 15-20 minutes. (For oven, make sure you preheat. You do not have to preheat for the air fryer)
While the rice is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a large non-stick pan, saute garlic and onions under medium-high heat for 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and salt. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add sugar and saute for another 2 minutes until the onions and tomatoes are softened and slightly caramelized. Add ketchup and tomato paste. Stir for 1-2 minutes.
Add water and cornstarch mix. Stir the contents around. The sauce should thicken in 30 seconds. If it doesn’t, add another half a set of cornstarch mixture to thicken.
Cook and stir for another 2 minutes until sauce is simmering. Turn off heat.
Assemble the layers. Spoon cooked rice on the bottom of the oven-proof dish. Then spoon the tomato sauce on top. Finally, sprinkle cheese generously.
Broil on high heat for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted and dish is sizzlin’ hot!
Let cool for 3-5 minutes before eating.
Season with extra salt and pepper if desired.
Serve and enjoy!