Taiwanese Pork Chop is a flavorful way to make pork chops! It is first marinated, then lightly coated, and then pan fried – easy and delicious!

About the ingredients

Here’s some info about the ingredients in case you have any questions!

Pork Chops vs Pork Loin

I hear a lot of confusion with this one so I thought I’d give some clarity. Pork chop is cut from the pork loin. So basically if you find some pork loin with no bones, it is also pork chops (or sometimes called pork loin chops).

For this recipe, I like to use pork loin chops so I don’t have to deal with the bone, but this is completely up to you.

Light Soy Sauce

Light soy sauce (aka 生抽, sheng chou) is the most common type used in Chinese cooking. It’s used to enhance the flavors! This kind of soy sauce is often used in stir fry sauces, marinades, dipping sauces and more.

If you’re not sure what kind of soy sauce you have, this is probably it. Also, if you ever see a recipe that says ‘soy sauce’ and doesn’t specify what kind, this is most likely it.

You can find it in most grocery stores these days and also on Amazon:

Kimlan Light Soy Sauce

Pearl River Bridge Light Soy Sauce

Michiu

Michiu is also known as Rice cooking wine. It contains about 20% alcohol, and is very popular in Taiwanese cooking. Many folks get this cooking wine confused with another cooking wine – Shaoxing. The difference is that Shaoxing is lower in alcohol and darker. Michiu is more dry and has a higher alcohol content.

Michiu is commonly used in stir fry, soup, braising, and more. It’s equivalent to adding wine to western dishes, but it also helps eliminate a ‘raw flavor’ of seafood and meat dishes too.

Some delicious dishes I make with Michiu are Chinese Chicken Mushroom Soup, Sesame Oil Chicken Recipe (Ma You Ji 麻油雞), and Red Braised Pork Belly.

You can find it in most Asian supermarkets but also on Amazon:

Taiwan Michiu

Qian Hu Michiu Rice Cooking Wine

Sweet Potato Starch

Sweet potato starch (蕃薯粉) is made from… sweet potatoes! It is also known as sweet potato flour or powder. It’s naturally gluten free (but always check your packaging if you are not sure).

It is often used in Taiwanese cooking such as Taiwanese popcorn or Taiwanese pork chops. It can be used as a thickener, and in cooking and baking.

If you can’t find any sweet potato starch you can try substituting it with cornstarch or tapioca starch.

You can find it in most Asian supermarkets but also on Amazon:

Sweet Potato Starch – 14oz.

Sweet Potato Starch (Thick) 蕃薯粉 (粗) 16oz x 2 bags

地瓜粉 粗 Sweet Potato Starch Powder -Thick – 14oz (1 Pack)

White Pepper

White pepper is one of the spices used in this recipe. What makes it different from black pepper is that black peppercorn berries are picked while still green, and white pepper comes from berries that are picked when fully ripe.

The flavor is also different! Black peppercorn usually are slightly hotter. White peppercorn is milder in heat, but it has a grassy and more earthy undertone.

White pepper can be found in most grocery stores these days and also on Amazon:

Badia Pepper Ground White, 2 Oz (Pack Of 1)

McCormick Ground White Pepper, 1 oz

Amazon Brand – Happy Belly White Pepper Ground, 3 ounce (Pack of 1)

Five Spice Powder

Five spice powder is a popular Chinese and Taiwanese spice blend. It is made with star anise, cloves, fennel seeds, Sichuan peppercorns and cinnamon.

Some would argue this is a required ingredient for Taiwanese pork chop, but at my home I grew up eating it without it. The reason I would say it’s not absolutely required also is because some people do not like the flavor of five spice too – and I’ve noticed it’s due to the cinnamon. So I say add it if you like the flavor, but don’t add it if you don’t!

Five Spice Powder can be found in some grocery stores (definitely Asian supermarkets) these days and also on Amazon:

NPG Authentic Chinese Five Spice Blend 1.05 oz

Frontier Co-op Five Spice Seasoning, 1.92 Ounce

McCormick Gourmet Chinese Five Spice Blend, 1.75 oz

How to cook Taiwanese Pork Chop

First gather your ingredients:

• 5 pork loin chops (1.25 lbs)
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp michiu (or rice cooking wine)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp five spice powder (optional)
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp sweet potato starch
• Cooking oil for frying

Place plastic wrap over the pork loins, and using a meat tenderizer, pound the meat to be about 1/4 inch thick to help tenderize meat and help it cook more evenly. Additionally, you can use a fork and poke holes to help it absorb the marinade.

In a mixing bowl or ziplock bag, mix pork loin chops, sugar, white pepper, soy sauce, rice cooking wine, cornstarch, five spice powder (optional) and minced garlic and allow it to marinade for about 30 minutes or up to overnight.

Pour the sweet potato starch on to a plate. Coat the pork loin chops on both sides lightly and set aside.

Heat a cooking pan on medium high. Coat cooking pan with cooking oil. Once hot, add pork in to pan carefully and avoid crowding – you can put it in in batches if you need.

Fry for about 3 minutes on each side or until cooked thoroughly.

Remove from heat and place on paper towels to let it absorb the excess oil.

Serve! I recommend with white rice and some veggie side dishes!

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