Hong Kong Baked Pork Chop Rice

Ingredients

• 4 pork loin chops, about 700g total
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• 1/4 tsp five spice powder
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 egg, beaten, for the marinade
• 4 tbsp cornflour, for dredging
• 20g butter
• 3 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 onion
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 3 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 200ml chicken stock
• 1 tsp caster sugar, for the sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce, for the sauce
• 700g cooked jasmine rice, cold
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 100g frozen peas
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 120g grated mozzarella or mild cheddar

Before you cook

• Pound the pork chops to an even 1cm thickness with a rolling pin.
• Mix the chops with the sugar, salt, white pepper, five spice, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce and beaten egg, and leave for 30 minutes.
• Dice the onion finely and mince the garlic.
• Break up the cold rice with wet hands so no clumps remain.
• Grate the cheese and have a large baking dish ready.

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 200C.
2. Melt the butter with 1 tablespoon of the oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add the diced onion and cook for 5 minutes, until soft and sweet.
4. Stir in the plain flour and cook for 1 minute to lose the raw taste.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes, ketchup, stock, sugar and oyster sauce and stir until smooth.
6. Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon, then set it aside.
7. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok over high heat.
8. Pour in the beaten eggs and scramble them for 30 seconds, until just set.
9. Add the garlic and the cold rice and stir-fry for 3 minutes, pressing out every clump.
10. Season the rice with a pinch of salt and the sesame oil, add the peas, and toss for 1 minute more.
11. Spread the fried rice across the base of the baking dish.
12. Dredge the marinated chops in cornflour and shake off the excess.
13. Heat the last tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and fry the chops for 3 minutes a side, until browned but not cooked all the way through.
14. Slice each chop into thick fingers and lay them over the rice.
15. Pour the tomato sauce evenly over the pork.
16. Scatter the grated cheese across the whole surface.
17. Bake for 18 minutes, until the cheese is melted and blistered in patches.
18. Serve straight from the dish, with a spoon that reaches the crusty corners.