Vietnamese Pork Chop Recipe with Lemongrass

You Don't Need to Travel Far to Enjoy this Southeast Asian Dish

Vietnamese pork chop recipe is a super simple, flavorful and delicious dinner. It is very versatile to pair with any greens, rice and/or noodles.

Total Time: 35-45 Minutes
Prep Time: 5 Minutes  
Inactive Cook Time: 30-40 Minutes  
Serving: 3-4

In the summer of 2021, my stove range broke that we got to get a new one. With the new model, the oven came with an air fryer function that I don't need to buy a countertop one to occupy extra space of my kitchen counter. Well, you would think that the new appliance will come with a manual to give you some directions how the air fryer works. It didn't. I can only download the manual online. As a result, I started to search on the internet for more than just downloading a manual.

Somehow, I stumbled upon a YouTube video using the same stove range to make air fry wings. I realized that my air fryer doesn't work the same as any countertop one. You had to turn up the temperature about the same as what you normally would do with an oven. I thought I would give it a test and see if that was true. And that was exactly what I learned through that video.

After several trial and error, I nailed this Vietnamese pork chop recipe down. I even tried to use my regular oven setting to roast it. So, I am going to share with you how to make this same recipe either way. This will give you more options to choose.

Tips and Tricks

The marinade looks very little in quantity. But the flavor is superb. So, don't worry. Just evenly distribute the marinade among the pork chops and rub it on good. It will do its work for you.

There is one very important tip that I desperately want to share with you. I learned this from a reel. Do you happen to see that your bone-in pork chops curl up when they are cooked? It doesn't look good presentation-wise. When you want to brown the meat evenly, the edge of the meat doesn't brown because of the same reason. Not until seeing a video online about cutting a few slits on the edge, it fixes the problem. Funny that I have been using this same method before cooking thinly sliced pork roll and never thought of applying it in other recipe. I guarantee you that this tip will make your pork chops coming out perfectly brown.

The advantage of oven air fryer is that you can cook a bigger batch of food than most countertop air fryer. However, getting 2 wire racks instead of one as big as a professional size baking sheet is better off. This is purely based on my personal experience. I always love to use my professional size baking sheet. So, getting a wire rack with the same size makes sense. Not until I have to wash that wire rack, I realized that it is too big for my kitchen sink and dishwasher. Cleaning it is quite a challenge. So, make sure to get the regular size of wire rack which are the most popular in the market.

The recipe calls for bone-in pork chops. I personally like the kind in some supermarkets call them as "assorted pork chops". There is more fat in the meat which comes out juicier.

Some picky eaters like my husband, pork chops need to be brown on the stove top first because it gives a more beautiful color on the outside. If that's the case, brown meat on the stove top at high heat 3 minutes per side. Then, finish the cooking process in the oven 12-15 minutes per side with regular oven setting or 10-12 minutes per side with air fryer setting.

What's Lemongrass?

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This recipe uses dry ground lemongrass. If you have never heard of this herb before, let me give you some brief introduction.

It is commonly used in Southeast Asian cooking, such as Thai and Vietnamese. The fresh stalk looks similar to a stalk of green onion (aka scallion), but much sturdier. It is very fragrant and refreshing. It smells a lot like lemon. So, you can guess why it got that name, right?

I chose to use the dry one instead of the fresh one is mainly because of its longer shelf life. Besides, it is easier to blend in the dry herb in the marinade. The dry herb is available in many supermarket international aisle.

If you want to experience the fresh herb flavor, you can easily find it in the coconut base soup, such as Tom Yum Kung soup.

Air Fryer Setting in an Oven

The rule of thumb of typical air fryer temperature conversion is 25F. Say like if you cook something in a regular oven at 425F; and you want to use the air fryer to do it instead, the air fryer temperature will be 400F.

I must say that when I used my oven air fryer, I did exactly that. The result came out good, but didn't give me the crispy outside. This is totally up to you how crispy you want it to be. My hubby is very particular when it comes to this. So, setting up the oven air fryer at 425F could be too much if you want to get juicy meat.

Vietnamese Pork Chop Recipe and Instructions

Ingredient
6 Bone-In Pork Chops (cut up 2-3 slits on the edge so that the meat won't curl up.)

Seasonings
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Fish Sauce
1 pinch of Sugar
1 tsp Dark Soy Sauce
1 1/2 tsp Dry Ground Lemongrass

Air Frying Pork Chops in the Oven

Instructions

1. At the bottom of a big mixing bowl, mix all seasonings together.
2. Mix in pork chops; massage and rub the marinade into the meat.
3. Put it aside for about 20 minutes.
4. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup later. Add a wire rack on top and transfer into the oven.
5. Preheat oven with air fryer setting at 425F.
6. Carefully remove pan and rack from the hot oven; single layer pork chops on top of the rack.
7. Cook for 20 minutes, turn over and cook another 10 minutes.
8. Rest for 3-5 minutes and enjoy immediately along with white rice, rice noodles, sliced cucumbers and other side dishes.

Roasting in the Oven with Regular Setting

Instructions

1. At the bottom of a big mixing bowl, mix all seasonings together.
2. Mix in pork chops; massage and rub the marinade into the meat.
3. Put it aside for about 20 minutes.
4. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup later. Transfer it into the oven.
5. Preheat oven at 425F. (It will be regular oven setting for this time.)
6. Carefully take out the preheated baking sheet from the oven and single layer the pork chops on top.
7. Roast for 20 minutes and turn meat over and roast for another 20 minutes; rest for 5 minutes and serve immediately along with white rice, rice noodles, sliced cucumbers and other side dishes.

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Vietnamese Pork Chop Recipe Steps with Photos

Cut 2-3 slits around the edge of pork chops to prevent the meat from curling up

The volume of the marinade looks very little. But a little goes a long way.

Put the marinated pork chops aside for 20 minutes before cooking

Single layer pork chops on a wire rack with baking sheet at the bottom

Pork chops are half way done. Need to turn them over to complete the cooking process

Rest pork chops for 3-5 minutes before serving

Air-fried pork chops are ready for dinner

No air fryer? Just use oven to make this delicious dish.

Vietnamese pork chops garnished with scallions. ENJOY!

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