Hong Kong Baked Pork Chop Fried Rice

A quintessential Hong-Kong style Western dish that you’ll find all over Hong Kong. Bring the cha chaan teng (translated as “tea restaurant”) right into your own home with this baked pork chop fried rice (an absolute classic!). Egg fried rice nestled snuggly under ridiculously tasty pork chops, smothered in a tangy tomato sauce followed by a generous helping of mozzarella cheese – are you drooling yet?!

This dish is the epitome of Hong Kong’s distinct cultural identity given its British colonial past. I was in love with the idea of it for quite some time before finally trying it in Hong Kong. When I did, it was as amazing as I dreamed it to be. The Hong Kong Style Baked Pork Chop Fried Rice can be found on the menus of all the cha chaan teng’s, which is the name for the local style diners that dot Hong Kong’s culinary landscape – typically characterised by their affordably priced dishes, served in huge portions, abundance of fluorescent lighting and rows of small eating booths. The pork chops are typically breaded and fried (tonkatsu style) but I opted to pan-fry it instead to make it less sinful.

For the amount of satisfaction you’ll get from it, this dish is not difficult at all. The only thing is that it might take a little time to put together because the various components have to be prepared separately. BUT BUT BUT, it’s worth it, I promise.

If you do take anything away from this recipe, it should be that chicken stock powder will elevate your fried rice to a whole new level (my grandma says this is the secret ingredient to Din Tai Fung’s best selling fried rice – what a genius). If you’re wondering what the heck chicken stock powder is, it’s something like chicken stock cubes, except it comes as a powder. You should be able to find it in all Asian grocery stores. It’ll look something like this.

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Hong Kong Baked Pork Chop Fried Rice

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Serves: 2

A quintessential Hong-Kong style Western dish that you’ll find all over Hong Kong. Bring the cha chaan teng (translated as “tea restaurant”) right into your own home with this baked pork chop fried rice (an absolute classic!).

Ingredients

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (or enough to cover tray)

Neutral oil

Marinade

2 pieces of boneless pork loin/chop (about 240g)

1 garlic clove, smashed

1/2 inch ginger, smashed

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (or water)

2 tablespoons corn flour

Fried Rice

2 eggs

2 cups cooked rice, left in the fridge overnight (1 cup uncooked)

1 teaspoon chicken stock powder

1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)

2 teaspoon soy sauce

A dash of white pepper

Tomato Sauce

1 small red onion, sliced

1 clove of garlic, diced

1 tomato, cut into wedges (more if you want)

1 tablespoon tomato paste (or replace with ketchup)

1 tablespoon ketchup

2/3 cup water

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1

Preheat your oven to 200°C.

2

Start off with the pork chops. Make tiny slits on the fat layer, barely cutting into the meaty part (this is so it won’t curl up) - see picture above. Either using a meat mallet or the back of your knife, pound the meat pieces to tenderise them. Then, mix them with all the marinade ingredients and leave them to one side.

3

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large wok/pot (non-stick would be best) over medium-high heat. Whisk the eggs together and when the pan is hot enough, pour the eggs into the wok/pot. Scramble the eggs until almost cooked through before adding the rice and giving everything a good mix. If there are any huge chunks of eggs, just use your spatula to break them apart. Once mixed thoroughly, season the rice with the chicken stock powder, salt, soy sauce and white pepper and toss to combine. Fry the rice for another 2-3 minutes to ‘dry’ out the rice (note 1). Pour out the fried rice into a ready-oiled oven-proof dish and lay it out in an even layer. Set aside.

4

Wipe down the wok/pot and heat 2 tablespoons of oil over high heat. Once hot enough, add the pork chops in, carefully avoiding the ginger and garlic. Sear the pork for 2 minutes each side so that they’ll get some colour (they will finish cooking in the oven). Once they are nice and golden, take them out and pop them on some paper towels to get rid of any excess oil (note 2).

5

Now, the tomato sauce. In the same wok/pot (add a tablespoon of oil if necessary) and over low heat, add in the onions and garlic - the aim is to caramelise and soften them. When they start becoming translucent, add your tomato wedges in and mix. Once the tomatoes have slightly softened, add in the tomato paste (note 3), if using, until it deepens in colour. add in the remaining ingredients under ‘Tomato Sauce’ and stir well to combine; taste for seasoning.

6

Taking the oven-proof dish with the fried rice, add the pork chop (or slices) all over. Pour the tomato sauce over and distribute it as evenly as you can. Sprinkle enough cheese over to cover the top of the dish - add more if you want, I don’t judge.

7

Finally, pop the dish into the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the cheese gets all golden and bubbly. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes

1. The aim of ‘drying’ out the rice is so that the rice grains are separate - this is the sign of a good fried rice.
2. Feel free to cut the cooked pork chop up into slices.
3. It is very important to cook out your tomato paste. You need to cook it past it’s bright red colour, and until it develops a deeper red colour - this is when flavour develops!