Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops With Radish Nuoc Cham
These flavorful chops are great on their own or eaten with jasmine rice or thin vermicelli rice noodles. Refrigerate any leftover meat, then thinly slice and use it to stuff into sandwiches, summer rice paper rolls or tacos.
From the story: Up your summer grilling game with lemongrass-marinated Vietnamese pork chops
Combine the lemongrass, shallot, four-fifths of the sliced garlic, half the sliced chiles, ¼ cup fish sauce and ¼ cup palm sugar in a large, shallow dish and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the pork chops and turn to evenly coat, spooning the solids on top of the meat. Or you can pour the mixture into a resealable plastic bag, add the pork chops and seal the bag. Let stand at room temperature while the grill heats, at least 10 minutes.
Set up a charcoal grill for direct, high-heat grilling or heat the burners of a gas grill to medium-high. (Alternatively, heat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat on a stove.)
While the grill heats, stir the lime juice, hot water and the remaining sliced garlic, sliced chile, ⅓ cup fish sauce and 3 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the watermelon radish and let stand at room temperature until ready to serve.
Remove the pork from the marinade, brushing off the solids, and place the chops on the hot grill. Cook until the bottom of the meat has charred and releases easily from the grate, about 5 minutes. Flip the chops and grill until the other side is charred and the meat has lost almost all of its pink color in the center, 3 to 5 minutes.
Transfer the pork chops to serving plates, spoon some of the radish nuoc cham on top, and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with the remaining nuoc cham, and serve alongside the tomatoes, cucumbers, and herbs.
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