Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chops

Preparation

This dish requires a bit of time to marinate but comes together quickly and looks much more impressive than the sum of its parts. Fragrant lemongrass and the punchy nuoc cham dipping sauce come together to compliment indulgently meaty pork chops, while fresh herbs and vegetables keep things light. This is a great recipe for an easy weeknight meal; the pork can be marinated the night before and cooks up quickly for a satisfying and dazzling dinner.

1. Marinate the pork chops. Add garlic, lemongrass, agave, fish sauce, shallot, soy sauce, molasses, pepper and oil to a blender. Blend at medium speed until a fine paste forms. Place pork chops in a large bowl, add marinade and coat well. Cover and refrigerate, ideally overnight or for up to 24 hours. 
2. Make the dipping sauce. Whisk ½ cup/120 ml water with fish sauce, agave, vinegar and lime juice. Taste for seasoning and add more lime juice or fish sauce as needed. Whisk in sambal oelek and garlic cloves and let sit for 30 minutes before serving. 
3. Finish the dish. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a HexClad 10"/25 cm Hybrid Fry Pan over medium-high heat. Once oil starts to smoke, add two eggs to the pan on opposite sides to keep the whites from running into each other. Once whites begin to set around the edges, tip the pan and use any excess oil to baste the whites and edges. Cook until the whites are crisp around the edges and the yolk is just set. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Repeat with another 1 Tbsp oil and the remaining eggs.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a HexClad 12"/30 cm Hybrid Fry Pan over high heat. Once the oil begins to smoke, add two pork chops and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until charred and fully cooked through. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 pork chops.
5. To serve, prepare 4 plates with rice, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and herbs. Place a pork chop and egg on each plate and top with fried shallots. Serve the nuoc cham dipping sauce on the side.

Note

While you can use fresh lemongrass, you can also buy it pre-cut and frozen. You can find tubs of finely minced lemongrass in the freezer section of most Asian grocery stores.