Pork Chops With Tamarind and Ginger
Updated March 24, 2025
- Total Time
- 20 minutes, plus 1 hour's marinating
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 3garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
- 1tablespoon tamarind concentrate (or extract), or use lime juice
- 1tablespoon sambal oelek or other chile paste
- 2teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 2teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
- 1½teaspoons ground cumin
- 1teaspoon fish sauce
- 1teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2bone-in pork chops, 1½ inches thick (2 pounds total)
- 2tablespoons coconut oil, grapeseed oil or safflower oil
- Scallions, thinly sliced
- Lime wedges, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
288 calories; 19 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 27 grams protein; 449 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a large bowl, combine garlic, tamarind, sambal oelek, ginger, salt, cumin, fish sauce and turmeric. Rub mixture evenly over pork, and let marinate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
- Step 2
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Scrape the marinade off the pork, reserving it (there will be a tablespoon or two), then place chops in pan and sear on one side until well browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Use tongs to hold pork chops vertically to sear the fat on the edges, another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Step 3
Flip pork so browned side is on top and add reserved marinade to pan, stirring it into the drippings. Transfer pan to oven and cook to desired doneness, about 8 minutes for lightly pink on the inside (135 degrees). Transfer chops to a plate or cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice the meat off the bone and serve slices coated with pan drippings, scallions and lime wedges.
Private Notes
Comments
Instead of using pork chops, I cut up about two pounds of pork shoulder into 1 inch pieces and marinated them in the marinade overnight. Then I cooked them like carnitas: I put them in a heavy pot, put in enough water just to cover the pork bits, and then cooked them, uncovered, on medium heat until the water was gone and the pork was sizzling. Then I wrapped the pieces of pork, along with some rice, mint, cilantro, and Thai basil, in leaves of butter lettuce. Delicious.
Yum! I love finding other uses for tamarind besides Pad Thai. I added 1 TB of brown sugar to balance out the marinade. Served with Asian Slaw (thin sliced Napa cabbage, matchstick carrots, rice vinegar oil and sesame oil, salt and pepper) this was light and delicious - oh and don't let those pan drippings go to waste - I added some leftover Jasmine rice for a quick simple fried rice - ahhhhh!
try oven at 220, bake longer - the result will be more tender and the kitchen will be cooler
I made the marinade as per the recipe. Because my pan was too small for the pork chops, I put them in a baking dish in the oven for finishing after searing. The marinade/oil/drippings in the pan were thick, so I deglazed with beef stock and butter, dumped the sauce on top of the chops before placing them in the oven. The pork chops were from a local farmer, a bit fatty, so very moist. The marinade/sauce plus the squee gave the meat a complex and satisfying flavor.
I should have added a bit of liquid before putting the pan in the oven. My chops were a bit dry and the liquid would've helped both the dryness and the sauce texture. Super good flavors. I marinated for about 10 hours.
This was delicious. I marinated it for about 8 hours, then roasted it on the grill.