As a child, Edwin's mom told him, "If you want to eat, you should cook it yourself." And that's exactly what he's been doing ever since.

Easy, Pan-Fried Pork Chops

I love pork chops of all kinds, but one of the things I miss most about my home country is the local-style pork chops. If you're familiar with adobo, then you know that Filipino cuisine often features dishes with a distinctive salty and sour flavor combination. This dish is one of them. It's also possible to vary the recipe to make it sweeter (see my variations section below), though personally, I really like the non-sweet version. Another thing I like about this recipe, in particular, is that it's quick and easy to cook, especially when I'm in a hurry.

Cook Time

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in pork chops, 1/2-inch thick
• 1/2 cup toyomansi sauce, available in Asian stores
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil, for frying
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed

Instructions

1. Combine all of the ingredients, except for the peanut oil, in a Ziploc bag.
2. Refrigerate the marinated pork chops overnight.
3. Heat the peanut oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
4. Sear the pork chops for 3 minutes on each side, until a thermometer shows an internal temperature of 145F.
5. Remove the chops from the pan, allow them to rest for 2 minutes, then serve.

Variations

• Instead of frying, you can grill or bake the pork chops.
• Instead of toyomansi sauce, you can use a mixture of soy sauce with either lemon juice or vinegar.
• For a sweet and savory pork chop, add sugar to the marinade.
• Try using fish sauce instead of soy sauce.

Toyomansi Sauce