Cinnamon-Braised Pork Chops
A traditional Shandong (Lu) cuisine dish made by braising pork loin with purple cinnamon. The meat is richly flavored yet not greasy.
Ingredients
Pork bone-in loin meat (remove skin and fat, cut into 130 g thick slices, make three cuts on the sinew and tenderize)
1.5 kg
Cinnamon (cassia), crushed into pieces
5 g
Vegetable oil (for frying the meat slices)
900 g (actual use about 70 g)
Cooked lard (for stir-frying, drizzle 52 g at the end)
50 g
Salt (seasoning)
8 g
Sugar (seasoning)
5 g
Cooking wine (for cooking)
15 g
Caramel coloring (to give the broth a light red color)
to taste
Ginger, sliced
25 g
Scallion, cut into segments
50 g
Chicken broth (for braising)
1.2 kg
Wet cornstarch (for thickening)
to taste
Instructions
1
Cutting and Frying
Remove the skin and fat from the loin meat, cut the meat into 130 g slices with the grain, slash the sinew three times and tenderize the meat. Place the slices into a wok of fully heated vegetable oil and fry until golden brown, then remove and drain. Cut the scallions into segments. Slice the ginger. Crush the cinnamon into small pieces.
2
Braising
Heat the cooked lard in the wok over high heat, add the scallions and ginger and stir-fry until fragrant, then add the cinnamon and stir-fry briefly. Pour in the cooking wine, add the chicken broth, sugar, and salt, and use the caramel coloring to tint the broth a light red. Once it comes to a boil, skim off the foam, then add the fried pork slices. When it returns to a boil, reduce to low heat and simmer for 40 minutes, flipping the meat over so it cooks through until tender. Pick out and discard the cinnamon, scallions, and ginger, then transfer the meat to a serving plate. Bring the remaining broth back up to a boil over high heat to reduce and thicken, then drizzle in the wet cornstarch and the 52 g of cooked lard to finish.
