Ever crave those sweet and spicy Asian flavors but feel tired of stir-frys? This is for you. Pork chops on sale are usually a killer deal, so grab a package or two and shake things up a bit from the classic “pork chops and mashed potatoes” routine. This recipe calls for bone-in chops, and a bone almost always means juicier meat. Dumplings are super satisfying, and you don’t need many for this dish. Pork plus the sweetness of a fruit flavor, like orange, is pretty magical, and this is no exception. The recipe calls for mixed Asian greens, but we haven’t been too successful in finding some we want to use, so we used mixed salad greens and skipped the wilting part – just laid them under the hot pork and dumplings and it added perfect texture and freshness.
Tip (unsponsored): If you’re like us and don’t drink much bottled O.J., just grab a single-serving bottle of Simply Orange juice from the cooler case. Or, if it’s orange season, buy a couple navel oranges and juice those.
Have your kids help you whisk the marinade ingredients together and make a bed of greens on each plate before topping with pork and dumplings. Let them spoon some sauce over each serving. As you prepare and enjoy this meal with your family, teach them about some of the health benefits of some of the ingredients:
- Orange juice has lots of vitamin C, which can help your skin heal from scars.
- Ginger can help your stomach feel settled if you feel nauseous.
- Mixed salad greens give your body calcium, which helps you feel hormonally balanced.
This dish isn’t necessarily Chinese, but let’s learn a few facts about China and it’s people:
- Chinese kids usually go to school from 7:30-5:00 and have 2 hours for lunch.
- Many children’s parents work so they live with and are raised by their grandparents.
- Congee, a soupy rice cereal made with fish or beans, is a common dish and eaten at any time of day.
Adapted from: Orange-Ginger Pork Chops with Dumplings
- ½ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 bone-in pork rib chops (1/2 inch thick; about 8 ounces each)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 1 -pound package frozen vegetable dumplings (about 16)
- 1 5 -ounce package mixed Asian (or spring) greens
- Whisk the orange juice, soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes in a shallow dish. Add the pork and let marinate, turning occasionally, 10 minutes.
- Preheat the broiler. Place the pork chops on a foil-lined baking sheet. Transfer the marinade to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook until reduced by about half, 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, broil the pork until slightly charred and just cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to rest.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the dumplings, flat-side down, and cook, undisturbed, until slightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add ¼ cup water; cover and cook until the water has evaporated and the dumplings are crisp on the bottom, about 3 minutes. If using Asian greens, cover and add the greens; stir until just wilted, 1 minute. If using spring greens, serve the dumplings, pork chops and orange sauce atop the fresh greens.
