I always thought Chinese five spice was named as such because it contained a mix of five spices; but actually, its name has roots in traditional Chinese herbal medicine with the desire to generate a concoction that balances the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water for the body to prevent disease. The concoction is believed to have originated around 4th century BC, and typically has a blend of five spices, but sometimes there can be more than five spices in the mix depending on the brand. Read more about Chinese five spice origins here and here.
You can buy five spice powder at your local supermarket since even McCormick makes it, but it's much cheaper if you buy it in little plastic packets from your Asian grocery store, and transfer the spice to your own glass jar at home. The one I used in this recipe is a blend of the following five spices: cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and ginger. Sometimes, the ginger is replaced by Szechuan peppercorns, mandarin orange peels, or cardamon depending on the brand, so pick your favorite blend.
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| Mix marinade and marinate pork overnight |
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| The next day, pan fry |
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| Pan fry 4 min first side, then ~5 min second side |
I make these pork chops all the time with my five spice powder because this recipe is so easy, it's almost a no recipe.
Marinate the meat overnight. Then pan fry both sides of the pork chops until just cooked through. Deglaze the pan with some water and acid to drizzle over the chops, and you are ready to serve dinner.
Update added June 12, 2020: One of my friends tried out this recipe and thought it was too salty. It turns out that fish sauce varies widely in salt content depending on the brand you use. I had used the Three Crabs brand of fish sauce which is low in salt, while she used the Squid brand of fish sauce, which is high in salt. Here is a good website link (https://ourdailybrine.com/fish-sauce-taste-test/) to look up how your brand of fish sauce ranks in salt content so that you can adjust the recipe accordingly (i.e. Omit the 1/2 t salt in the marinade if you are using a high salt brand of fish sauce).
Yields 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs boneless pork chops cut to ¾ inch thickness
- 1 T olive oil
- 3 T water
- 2 T apple cider vinegar
- chopped green onions for garnish (optional)
Marinade Ingredients:
- 2 T sugar
- 2 T fish sauce (I used Three Crabs brand of fish sauce)
- 1 ½ t Chinese five spice powder
- ½ t black pepper
- ½ t garlic powder
- ½ t salt (omit if using a high salt content brand of fish sauce)
- 1 T olive oil
Procedures:
1. Mix marinade ingredients together in a bowl and pour over pork chops. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
2. An hour before you are ready to cook, take the pork chops out of the refrigerator and leave at room temperature so that the pork chops will cook more evenly.
3. Add 1 T of olive oil to a skillet and heat under high heat. Place the pork chops in the hot skillet in a single layer without crowding the pan.
4. Cook the chops on high for 4 minutes on the 1st side, then reduce the heat to medium high and cook for 5 to 6 minutes on the 2nd side or until just cooked through. Transfer the chops to a serving plate.
5. Deglaze the pan with water and apple cider vinegar and drizzle the pan sauce over the chops. Garnish with green onions if desired and serve hot.