A Taiwanese pork chop plate is a thing of beauty. The full monty version usually consists of:
- A crispy fried pork chop
- A halved tea egg (because the giant pork chop wasn’t enough protein—duh)
- Pickled mustard greens (for that perfectly pickled bit of tang)
- Sautéed cabbage
- A bed of steamed white rice
Which one do you eat first?! How do you approach all the elements of this heaping plate of goodness? The answer is simultaneously. Vigorously.
A Classic Taiwanese Dish
Taiwanese fried pork chops are right up there alongside other heavy hitting Taiwanese hits like Beef Noodle Soup and Gua Bao pork buns.
I have not yet made it to Taiwan, but I’ve seen plenty of Taiwanese dramas! (Given the current state of things, that’s probably as close as I’ll get for a while.)
The basic drama formula: doe-eyed girl falls for grumpy boy, and through a series of endless shenanigans, they get married! Inevitably, the relationship becomes a family affair, complete with kooky in-laws and many awkward family dinners. Naturally, I get distracted by the food.
See also: my track record watching Korean dramas. (Which is better? Wallowing in the protagonist’s abject heartache, or gazing at that hubcap-sized bowl of bibimbap she’s drowning her sorrows in?)
The Pork Chop Coating Debate
It seems there are two approaches to a Taiwanese fried pork chop—one calls for marinating the pork chops, then dredging them in a coating of potato starch to yield more of a crumb.
The alternative calls for marinating, and then a mixing of potato starch and water to make a paste that yields a uniform coating.
We’ve opted for the second, which creates a delicious consistency. Both are delicious, though, and it seems to be something of a personal preference.
Beyond the coating, successful frying hinges on a couple of things:
- hammering the pork chops to a ½-inch thickness
- making strategic cuts along the outer perimeter to make sure the pork chop stays flat
But we’ll get to that in the recipe.
Cheap Lunch to Eat Out…Or an Elaborate Dinner at Home
Just like a good bowl of Taiwanese beef noodle soup, the competition to be the best is fierce. In New York, I don’t know that I’d say there are Taiwanese pork chop turf wars, but there are two go-to’s: May Wah Fast Food and Taiwan Pork Chop House. Both are solid candidates, and the best part is, a pork chop plate will run you about $7!
At May Wah, they serve their Taiwanese pork chops with a gravy of sorts. Taiwan Pork Chop House nixes the sauce, which we’ve also opted to do. This is not only to make things easier for the home cook, we also prefer emphasizing the pure flavors of the pork chop with the rice and pickled greens.
That said, while this is a cheap meal to eat out, it’s a rich and delicious dish that takes some effort and pre-planning for the home cook. The pre-planning involves marinating the pork chops, and making the tea eggs. From there, just time your rice and cabbage correctly, and finish the whole thing with the stir-fried pickled mustard greens.
Not to worry, though, we’ve got all the instructions below for a successful go at home!
Taiwanese Pork Chop Plate: Recipe Instructions
First prepare the pork chops. Rinse them under cold running water to remove any bone fragments and other impurities (be sure to disinfect the sink after you’re done). To avoid curling during frying, make 1-inch cuts around the perimeter of the pork chop, about 1-2 inches apart.
After that, use a rolling pin to hammer the chops to a ½-inch thickness. It can help to put some parchment paper on top of the chops to prevent splatter.
Add them to a large bowl, and add the grated garlic, 3 tablespoons water, salt, sugar, white pepper, five spice powder, light soy sauce, wine, and 1 teaspoon potato starch. Mix thoroughly to coat the pork chops. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.
While your pork chops are marinating, you’ll want to prepare some other items. First, the tea eggs—if you’re only letting your pork chops marinate for 3 hours, you’ll need to make the tea eggs the night before (you could also make plain hard-boiled eggs if pressed for time). You can also wash and chop the napa cabbage, and prepare your mustard green ingredients. You’ll also need to make rice!
When you’re ready to fry the pork chops, add the additional ½ cup water and ½ cup potato starch to the pork chops.
Toss them until they’re evenly coated in the resulting paste.
In a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven, add about ¾ inch oil, and heat over medium high heat. When some of the marinade dipped into the hot oil sizzles vigorously, you’re ready to fry.
Fry the pork chops one at a time, carefully lowering them into the hot oil so they lay completely flat.
Fry for about 3 minutes on each side, lowering the heat to medium if needed (i.e. if the pork chops are getting too dark). Repeat with all four pork chops.
When you’re on the third or fourth pork chop, if you are able, we recommend getting some kitchen help and sautéing the mustard greens. Add 1 tablespoon oil to a hot wok until just smoking. Break the dried chili pepper in half and add it to the oil with the garlic.
After 20 seconds, add the mustard greens and sugar.
Stir until heated through (they should not take on any color). This quick process should take about 4-5 minutes.
You’ll also need to stir-fry your choice of greens. Add another couple tablespoons oil to your wok, and heat until it’s just smoking. Add the ginger and garlic, let sizzle for 10-20 seconds, and follow with the napa cabbage. Cook until the cabbage is wilted, and season with salt to taste.
The last thing to do is peel a couple of tea eggs, and you’re ready to assemble your Taiwanese Pork Chop plate!
On each plate, serve rice, a pile of cabbage, a healthy few spoonfuls of the mustard greens, a halved tea egg, and of course a pork chop! We also had a bit of my mom’s Chinese pickled cucumbers on the side.
This meal is hearty, delicious, and proclaimed to be the best Taiwanese pork chop we’ve ever had.
The recipe serves four very hungry people or 6 lighter eaters.
Taiwanese Pork Chop Plate
Ingredients
For the pork chops:
- 4 bone-in pork chops (about 2.5 lbs/1kg; we used bone-in pork loin end chops because they're fattier than center cut pork chops)
- 5 cloves garlic (grated)
- 3 tablespoons water (plus 1/2 cup, divided)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon five spice powder
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon potato starch (Plus ½ cup, divided. Traditionally, sweet potato starch is used; you can also use that, or cornstarch)
- vegetable oil (for frying)
For the mustard greens:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 dried red chili
- 1 clove garlic (chopped)
- 1/8 teaspoon sugar
- 2-2.5 cups pickled mustard greens (chopped)
For the cabbage:
- 1 small head napa cabbage (washed and roughly chopped); can substitute any other leafy green)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 slice ginger (optional)
- 3 cloves garlic (sliced)
- salt (to taste)
To serve:
- 4-6 tea eggs (See our tea egg recipe. Note, they should be made the night before you plan to serve for optimal flavor. You can also substitute with plain hard-boiled eggs.)
- 6 cups cooked white rice (See our guide on perfect stovetop rice! Otherwise, be sure to time your rice cooker appropriately before you start frying the pork chops)
Instructions
- First prepare the pork chops. Rinse them under cold running water to remove any bone fragments and other impurities (be sure to disinfect the sink after you’re done). To avoid curling during frying, make 1-inch cuts around the perimeter of the pork chop, about 1-2 inches apart. After that, use a rolling pin to hammer the chops to a ½-inch thickness. It can help to put some parchment paper on top of the chops to prevent splatter.
- Add them to a large bowl, and add the grated garlic, 3 tablespoons water, salt, sugar, white pepper, five spice powder, light soy sauce, wine, and 1 teaspoon potato starch. Mix thoroughly to coat the pork chops. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- While your pork chops are marinating, you’ll want to prepare some other items. First, the tea eggs—if you’re only letting your pork chops marinate for 3 hours, you’ll need to make the tea eggs the night before (you could also make plain hard-boiled eggs if pressed for time). You can also wash and chop the napa cabbage, and prepare your mustard green ingredients. You’ll also need to make rice!
- When you’re ready to fry the pork chops, add the additional ½ cup water and ½ cup potato starch to the pork chops, and toss them until they’re evenly coated in the resulting paste. In a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven, add about ¾ inch oil, and heat over medium high heat. When some of the marinade dipped into the hot oil sizzles vigorously, you’re ready to fry.
- Fry the pork chops one at a time, carefully lowering them into the hot oil so they lay completely flat. Fry for about 3 minutes on each side, lowering the heat to medium if needed (i.e. if the pork chops are getting too dark). Repeat with all four pork chops.
- When you’re on the third or fourth pork chop, if you are able, we recommend getting some kitchen help and sauteeing the mustard greens. Add 1 tablespoon oil to a hot wok until just smoking. Break the dried chili pepper in half and add it to the oil with the garlic. After 20 seconds, add the mustard greens and sugar. Stir until heated through (they should not take on any color). This quick process should take about 4-5 minutes.
- You’ll also need to stir-fry your choice of greens. Add another couple tablespoons oil to your wok, and heat until it’s just smoking. Add the ginger and garlic, let sizzle for 10-20 seconds, and follow with the cabbage. Cook until the cabbage is wilted, and season with salt to taste.
- On each plate, serve rice, a pile of cabbage, a healthy few spoonfuls of the mustard greens, a halved tea egg, and of course a pork chop!
This is probably one of my favorite things to eat in the world!! I have made it multiple times and really is a thing of beauty. However in all the times I have made it I missed the step where you add more starch to the marinade before frying the pork chops until last night, and what a massive difference it made!!! Wow!!! Just wow!!
Woooo! So glad you love it, Beatrix :)
I want to thank everyone for providing us with these delicious recipes. I like to know how is the MayWah pork gravy recipe coming along? What about their other famous dish, chicken thigh? When can we expect to see them posted? Thanks for everything, and happy holiday to all!
Thanks, John! I will have to head there to eat it for myself once the Covid surge calms down (Sarah and her husband Justin have eaten it most often). It’s a good winter recipe, though, and I find lately I’m wanting for ideas! Thanks for reminding me of this :)
My pork chops didn’t turned out exactly the way I’d like. Can you tell me at what temperature the oil needs to be fried at please?
Hi Jinny, next time we make this, we’ll post the temperature!
Hi Kaitlin,
I have a question about the recipe for section #4. The part where it says: “When you’re ready to fry the pork chops, add the additional ½ cup water and ½ cup potato starch to the pork chops, and toss them until they’re evenly coated in the resulting paste.”
When I added the water and corn starch (I did not have potato starch) it did not result or turn in a paste texture. Instead it was still a lot liquid. Can you please tell me what I did wrong? I followed the instructions but it didn’t seem to come out right.
Hi Esther, the photo gives the best indicator of the consistency. Paste might be a strong word as it’s not gloopy like the word might bring to mind. It is a thin consistency, but the batter shouldn’t drip off a lot when you add it to the pan. However, if you didn’t like the resulting texture, simply add the water gradually until you have the right consistency. I hope that helps some!
I got the same results where the batter was much too thin, even after I added another 1/4 cup of starch. I can understand where there might be some variances, but with that much starch I feel like I was not even in the ballpark of getting it to appear like in the photo.
Hi Howard, sorry to hear that! Next time we make this we’ll re-examine. The batter is not supposed to be very crunchy / thick like fried chicken. It’s important to get a good hot frying temperature to make sure the crust forms too. Again, sorry it didn’t work out for you!
Hi Kaitlin,
Can I marinate the pork chops longer, like 2 days? And can I use a non stick pan to cook it in?
Hi Esther, I wouldn’t marinade them for too long as they can end up tasting hammy from the salt. And yes a nonstick pan should be fine.
Does anyone know the sauce recipe?
I am Taiwanese and eating pork chop bento growing up. Your recipe is spot on! One thing I would like to point out: we usually serve with 滷蛋 soy sauce braised egg, not tea egg.
Didnt go thru the comments .. But this serves 6 but only 4 pork chops.. Also Total cook time might be a little off???
Hi Pete, if you also have 1 tea egg per person as we suggest, not everyone may have room for a full pork chop. That said, you know who you’re cooking for best. So if you need to 1.5x the recipe to make 6 pork chops for 6 people instead of 4 pork chops, you can use the slider to change the serving sizes to reflect that.
The total cook time is off as there’s 3 hours allotted for marinating time. It’s just not shown in the recipe card plug-in we use. Thanks for pointing it out though! We’ll check things out on the back end of the site.
Cheers