Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops

Toddled out to Tiong Bahru Market to get pork chops. It’s handy to stock some in the freezer. I usually buy 1 kg to 1.5 kg. That weight range gives me about seven to nine thick slabs, bone-in; it will last us for two months, maybe three. Heh. The bones are needed so that the meat keeps tender when we sous-vide it. 

Indonesian pork somehow turns out very much tastier, leaner and less stinky when we have it grilled or minced into dumplings or layered onto tofu and steamed eggs. I still prefer going to the wet market to get Indonesian pork over shopping at the butchery.

We weren’t able to do dinner at a restaurant with G and S. So we had them over for dinner instead. We could then hang out longer. “Something casual please”, they said. Can do. We did a one-dish Asian meal thingy. Food prep wasn’t difficult at all! Picked an easy menu. Vietnamese pork chops and vegetables. For pork chops, I've come to prefer this Vietnamese-style marinated with lemongrass, lime juice and garlic, or Brazilian flavors of chimichurri, jalapeño, peppers, paprika, pineapples and salsa. I'm not keen on Korean styles of sriracha or Chinese styles of ginger and soy/hoisin or sweet and sour Jin Du. #ImpieCooks2020

Thawed out four pieces of pork chops. They were small and should be sufficient for four people without being overloaded on protein. Once they were seared and finished on the grill, we let them rest before slicing them up to serve. Bought vegetables to stir-fry to add some crunch and cut across the flavors. Basmati rice, sous-vide Vietnamese-style grilled pork chops, and two vegetables of blanched celtuce and stir-fried baby Shanghai greens.  

It was a satisfying dinner. Our guests were so pleased. They loved the tangy flavors. Whewwwww. We were glad they didn’t mind the simple fare. There were plenty of drinks for everyone. Wine, gin, beer and whisky. Imibed in moderation, of course. It’s much more comfortable to hang out at home nowadays. We don’t have to abandon the dog, and we needn’t adhere to the current restrictions of no-alcohol-after-10.30pm. We old fogies happily called it a night at 11pm.