Pork Chops with Soy and Sriracha Pan Sauce

One of the first cooking techniques I learned was how to make a basic pan sauce: deglaze pan with alcohol, add liquid and seasonings, and reduce. Due to both the simplicity and versatility of pan sauces, they have become one of my standard go to's when cooking simple meals during the week. I have also found that a pan sauce lends itself well to improvisation; just about any tasteful combination of liquids and seasonings can make a great pan sauce as long as you follow the basic technique.

Tonight was one such pan sauce experiment that turned out nicely. The combination of soy sauce, sriracha, and hoisin rarely fails, so I decided to turn it into a pan sauce to accompany pork chops. I added garlic and ginger to season the sauce, and some sugar to slightly sweeten the sauce and to help it thicken. To keep with the Asian theme, I used shaoxing rice wine to deglaze the pan, but dry sherry would work just as well. The measurements are by no means exact, so add or subtract according to your taste; remember, a pan sauce lends itself to improvisation.

Pork Chops with Soy and Sriracha Pan Sauce
Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 thick bone-in pork chops
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 1 large clove of garlic, minced
• 1/2 inch piece of ginger, minced
• 1/4 cup shaoxing (Chinese rice wine) or sherry
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sriracha sauce
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 2 tsp sugar

Directions:

1. Pat pork chops dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add pork chops to pan. Cook for about two minutes per side. Reduce heat to low, cover skillet, and continue to cook pork chops until cooked through, about 3 more minutes per side. Remove chops from pan and let rest.
4. Increase heat to medium. Add garlic and ginger to pan and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
5. Add wine to pan and bring to a boil. Reduce by half, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
6. Add soy sauce, hoisin, sriracha, and sugar to pan. Simmer until thickened, about two minutes.
7. Serve pork chops over rice with pan sauce.