Vietnamese Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops (Thit Heo Nuong Xa)

This easy-to-make sweet and savory grilled Vietnamese lemongrass pork chops recipe is full of flavors from lemongrass, garlic, and fish sauce and grilled over a bbq or cooked on a stovetop!

📝 Ingredients

• 2 Pork shoulder steaks (*see notes (approximately 1/2-3/4 inch thick))
• 1 tablespoon Oil ((used to coat porkchop right before grilling))
• 1 Stalk of Lemongrass (*see notes (approximately 3 1/2 tablespoons))
• 4 cloves Garlic ((approximately 2 tablespoons))
• 1 Shallot ((approximately 2 tablepoons))
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Fish Sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce
• 2 tablespoons Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Water
• 1/2 cup nuoc cham dip (fish sauce dip)
• cucumbers ((a few slices))
• tomatoes ((a few slices))
• green onions/scallions ((finely chopped))

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- Marinating and Preparing the Pork Chops ---
2. 2Remove the top 2-3 inches of dried tips from the lemongrass and discard it. I like to smash the base of the lemongrass so that it's easier to chop and it releases the oils. Cut the lemongrass into small pieces 14-inch pieces and place it in a food processor. If you are not using a food processor, finely chop the lemongrass as fine as you can.
3. 3Add the rest of the marinade ingredients (4 cloves Garlic, 1 Shallot, 1½ tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce (optional), 2 tablespoons Water, 1½ tablespoons Fish Sauce, and 2 tablespoons Sugar) into the food processor and blitz it until it becomes a paste.
4. 4Add the pork shoulder into a large bowl. Pour the marinade over the pork and make sure it is well coated. Marinate the pork chop for 24 hours
5. 5After it has marinated for 24 hours. Bring the pork chop out of the fridge for an hour to marinate at room temperature - bringing the meat to room temperature makes it cook faster, more evenly and the marinade absorbs better as well.
6. 6Scrape off and remove the marinade by hand, as much as possible so it doesn't burn while you are grilling the pork chops
7. 7Drizzle 1 tablespoon Oil on the pork chop and lightly coat each piece. This will help prevent it from sticking on the grill (you still should oil the grill as well)
8. 8--- Grilling the Lemongrass Pork Chops ---
9. 9Pre-heat bbq to high heat and wait for it to get hot.
10. 10Grill for 2-3 mins on high with the lid up (approximately 1-2 minutes per side), then adjust the heat to medium heat and cook it for 4-6 mins with the lid down, no flipping required.
11. 11Once it is done, remove it from the grill and let it rest for 5-10 mins
12. 12Enjoy with a side of rice and some cucumbers, tomatoes and, nuoc cham dip!
13. 13--- (Alternative) Pan-Frying the Lemongrass Pork Chops ---
14. 14If you do not have a grill, you can use a cast iron pan or a heavy bottom frying pan to cook this as well. It is very important to remove as much as the marinade off the porkchop as possible before you pan-fry it so that it doesn't burn.
15. 15Add oil to a heavy bottom frying pan or cast iron pan and set the heat to high heat.
16. 16Once the pan is very hot, add the pork chop in the pan and sear it for 2 minutes per side. (approximately 4 minutes in total) Try not to flip it too much so it can create a bit of char. The house may get a bit smoky during this step.
17. 17Once you have charred and seared the outside, cook it with a lid for 4 minutes a side with a lid. (8 minutes in total)
18. 18Depending on how hot your stovetop is, the pork chop should be cooked by now. This is based on a ¾ inch shoulder chop. Remove it from the pan and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving it
19. 19Enjoy with a side of rice and some cucumbers, tomatoes and, nuoc cham dip!