Smothered in a bright and savory sauce, Curried Pork Chops with Roasted Cauliflower is a stick to your bones type of meal. Caramelized onions, garlic, and ginger add a toothsome depth to the pan sauce.
Serve with roasted cauliflower that is tossed with slivered almonds, sweet golden raisins, and a splash of lime.
Pork chops and applesauce
I am probably aging myself, but whenever I hear the words pork chops, I think of Peter Brady. In his best Bogart voice, he kept repeating pork chops and applesauce when talking about dinner. Even Alice got in on the game, mimicking Bogart. Along with some other crazy Brady Bunch trivia, I have always remembered pork chops and applesauce.
However, that word association is limiting. While the mildness of pork partners well with the acidic nature of apples, there are many other flavor combinations to explore. Curried Pork Chops with Roasted Cauliflower partner the fruitiness of curry with savory onions.
Coconut cream
Have you ever made the mistake of buying coconut cream rather than coconut milk? It's an easy mistake. As a result of purchasing the wrong ingredient, I had a solo can of unsweetened coconut cream in my pantry. This is what spurred the creation of this recipe. It was almost a challenge, trying to find a way to use the coconut cream.
Pantry ingredients.
Much of this recipe is derived from pantry ingredients. Curry powder, slivered almonds, golden raisins, onions, and garlic, pulled out onto the counter became the basis of the recipe. In the fridge, I found cilantro and a lime. Now I see my path.
Caramelize flavor, part 1
One of my favorite techniques is to caramelize ingredients. That could mean roasting in the oven or browning in a saute pan. Here, both were done. Roast the cauliflower in the oven with olive oil for a toasty color and texture. Once the cauliflower is almost tender, I add garlic, ginger, and slivered almonds. But I think the bright spot of flavor is the addition of golden raisins. These are like little sugar bombs that add a syrupy sweet pop. How about a drizzle of lime juice and a sprinkle of lime zest. This tangy/sweet combination adds some personality to mild cauliflower.
Caramelize flavor, part 2
While the cauliflower is roasting, I start caramelizing thinly sliced onions. This savory touch adds a few flavor highlights to the curry sauce. First, the onions create a bit of fond on the bottom of the skillet. Combined with minced garlic and ginger, and curry powder, the fond is like a flavor powerhouse. The onions are removed from the skillet and set aside for a bit.
Caramelize flavor, part 3
Searing the chops, I mean really searing them, is an essential part of developing flavor. I have the cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, getting hot. When I can feel the heat rising from the surface of the pan, I add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Liberally season the pork chops with salt and pepper while waiting for the oil to get hot. Carefully, the chops are laid in the pan, loudly sizzling as they hit the hot oil. The temptation is to keep checking on the sear by lifting an edge of a pork chop. Don't! Give the chops about 8 minutes to brown. However, the timing is dependent on the thickness of your pork chops. These pictured above were ridiculously thick. Adjust your timing according to the size of your pork chops.
Smother
Once the chops have been seared, I put them in the oven to finish cooking to 140 degrees. This step doesn't take long, maybe 5 minutes, so don't forget about them.
Now, I wipe out the pan and add the onions back to the pan along with the can of unsweetened coconut cream. Since the cream may have separated, it is helpful to shake the can before you open it. Add a bay leaf and another teaspoon of curry powder. With the heat at medium, stir all the ingredients together.
Once the chops have reached the correct temperature, take them out of the oven and add them to the curry sauce. The meat should cook to a final temperature of 145 degrees while in the sauce.
Check the seasoning of the sauce after you add the pork chops - you may need to add more salt and pepper. However, the chops have a good amount of seasoning on the surface, so this may be enough for the sauce.
Savory and fruity
One of the best things about Curried Pork Chops with Roasted Cauliflower is the play between savory and fruity, sweet and tangy, creamy and roasted. The curry sauce envelopes the chops, parting its caramelized notes and creamy texture.
The cauliflower plays well with the curry sauce, in case you like a lot of sauce. I find a squeeze of lime juice adds a little punch of bright acidity. This hearty meal is a flavor loaded with each bite containing a different taste. Enjoy!
Here's a recipe for pork tenderloin - https://tenpoundcakecompany.com/pork-tenderloin-and-roasted-grapes
Recipe
Curried Pork Chops with Roasted Cauliflower
Equipment
- 2 sheet pans
- 1 skillet preferably cast iron
Ingredients
Roasted Cauliflower
- 1 head cauliflower (roughly 6 cups/1 ½ pounds/695 grams)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons slivered almonds (.9 oz./26 grams)
- 1½ teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
- ⅓ cup golden raisins (1.8 oz./51 grams)
- ½ teaspoon lime zest
- ½ lime juice
- 1 tablespoon cilantro, minced
Curry Sauce
- 1 onion, thinly sliced (2 cups/8 oz./225 grams)
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1½ teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Pork Chops
- 4 bone-in pork chops
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 13.5 ounces unsweetened coconut cream ( 1 can)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°
Roasted Cauliflower
- Separate a head of cauliflower into florets. Place on a sheet pan and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Roast in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Take the cauliflower out of the oven. Add 1 ½ teaspoon of minced garlic and 1 teaspoon of minced ginger to the sheet pan. With a spatula, toss everything to combine and turn the cauliflower over to an unroasted side.
- After 8-9 minutes, remove the sheet pan from the oven. Add the slivered almonds and raisins to the cauliflower, tossing to combine. Put back in the oven for 5 minutes.
- Add the zest and juice of half of a lime. Toss to combine. Adjust the seasoning to your taste.
Curry Sauce
- While the cauliflower is roasting, start the curry sauce. Cut 1 onion into thin slices.
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Once the olive oil is hot, add the onions to the skillet. Season with ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper.
- Continually stir the onions as they brown. You do not want the onions to burn.
- After 12 minutes, add 2 teaspoons of garlic and 1½ teaspoons of minced ginger to the onions. Stir for 2 minutes as the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Add 2 teaspoons of curry powder to the browned onions. Stir until the curry powder is combined. Remove the onions from the pan and set them aside. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel so that it is clean.
Pork Chops
- Place the cast-iron pan over medium-high heat.
- Season the pork chops liberally with salt and pepper.
- Once the pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place the pork chops in the hot pan, being careful not to overcrowd the meat. Let the chops sear for 8 minutes, then flip.
- After 8-9 minutes, remove the pork chops from the pan and place them on a sheet pan. Put in the oven for 3-4 minutes, until the pork chops have an internal temperature of 140°.
- While the chops are in the oven, wipe out the cast-iron skillet with a paper towel. Shake the can of unsweetened coconut cream, to combine the contents. Pour the coconut cream into the skillet.
- Add the browned onions, a bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon of curry powder to the coconut cream. Stir to combine. Check the seasoning of the sauce and adjust to your liking.
- When the chops are removed from the oven, place them in the skillet of curry sauce. Continue to cook the smothered pork chops until the internal temperature is 145°, approximately 5 minutes.
- Serve the pork chops with the curry sauce drizzled on top. Add a side of roasted cauliflower.
Notes
Nutrition
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