Pork chop steak

 

Rice is a staple in the Filipino home.  Just like the "tabo" in the bathroom and a karaoke/videoke unit in the lounge room, there is the rice cooker in the kitchen. 

A day without rice will make hubby weak, like the effect of kryptonite to Superman.  Its just not normal.  Although we do have pasta dishes in-between days and have the usual pizza take-away or a taco weekend dinner, RICE must always be on the menu the day after these episodes.  Otherwise, wrath will set in.  I'm kidding of course.  But you can imagine the seriousness of what I'm talking about here, do you? Rice to us, is bread to others.   And because rice is a staple and a regular side, we have an endless supply of mains.  Maybe a lot of them have more similarities than differences in terms of ingredients and preparation. Some are exotic and unique, others just a replica of some foreign dish brought about by the influence that country made in Philippine shores. 

This pork chop steak is a take off from the Tagalog Beefsteak - a beef dish marinated in calamansi (an indigenous Filipino citrus) and soy sauce, fried separately then served with sauteed onion rings.  

1k pork chops

1/2 cup light soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 lemon (an original version of this would use calamansi)

1 large onion, sliced (like rings - see photo)

vegetable oil

Marinade the pork chops in soy sauce, garlic and half of the lemon.  Let it sit for half an hour.

Heat a skillet or fry pan, add vegetable oil and shallow fry the pork chops in batches, 3-4 minutes on each side.  Set aside on a serving dish or plate.

Saute the onion rings in the same pan until soft.  Add the pork chop marinade and simmer for 5 minutes. Squeeze the other half of the lemon.  Pour on top of the pork chops.

Best served with, do I need to say it?.... RICE!