Crunchy and satisfying

I have a new favorite weeknight meal.  Thanks to my friend Kirsten, I tried a recipe for a fried pork chop, soup, and noodles.  My husband isn’t the biggest fan of soup-and-noodles for the simple reason that these dishes, especially the ones that I like, tend to emphasize the simplicity of the flavors of the soup and noodles, rather than having vibrant, hearty flavors.  And my husband is a big flavor kind of guy.  I was hoping that the contrasts of the fried pork chop and the hot soup and chewy noodles would earn a few points on his list and that we could have it again.  They did, and we definitely will.  I made some adaptations to Kirsten’s recipe just because I didn’t have the exact ingredients in the house, but overall it’s the same concept.  Here’s the recipe.  Seriously, you have to try it.

Chinese Fried Pork Chop and Noodles (adapted from Kirsten’s recipe)

Broth:
4 cups chicken stock/broth
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 star anise pod
Napa cabbage

Bring the broth, soy sauce, and star anise to a simmer. Add vegetables 15-20 minutes before ready to serve.  The longer you simmer the vegetables, the more tender they’ll be.  Be careful, don’t let them fall apart!

Batter:

1 beaten egg

1 cup flour

1 cup Panko  bread crumbs

Pork Chops:
3 to 4 pork chops.  Use thin cut, rather than thick cut pork chops as these will be more tender rather than chewy.  Dip the pork chop in the beaten egg, drain off the excess, dredge it in flour and then panko.  Repeat with all chops.  Let them rest for a few minutes for the batter to adhere.  Then add about 1Tbsp of oil to a pan (I prefer my cast iron skillet) and fry the pork chops until they are brown and crisp on both sides.

Boil noodles according to package instructions.

To serve, scoop some noodles into a bowl, place pork chop on top and ladle broth and veggies over them all. Enjoy!