Name: Braised Pork Chops Recipe {Shanghai Hong Shao Da Pai}
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 2 lbs pork chops, bone-in, about 3 or 4 pcs depending on the size and thickness of the pork chops. See notes.; 2.5 tbsp arrowroot flour; 2 stalks of green onions, chopped; 2 tsp cooking oil, such as avocado oil or canola oil; 10 thin slices of ginger, organic preferred; 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine; 2.5 tbsp aged (dark) soy sauce; 1.5 tbsp light soy sauce; 3/4 tbsp Zhenjiang vinegar; 3/4 tbsp sugar, turbinado sugar preferred; 1 cup of water

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Red braised pork chops {Hong Shao Da Pai 红烧大排} Shanghai style is such a classic Huai Yang style dish, and heavenly delicious too. It features juicy and delicious bone-in pork chops wrapped with iconic velvet sauce, that has a hint of vinegary sweetness.

It is super easy to make this at home as long as you learn a few tips and tricks.

Braised Pork Chops {Hong Shao Da Pai Shanghai Style}

Braised Pork Chops Shanghai Style Key Ingredients:

For Pork Chops, try to find the bone-in pork chops that are not overly thick if possible. The thinner, the tastier.

You will need cooking oil to pan fry pork chops first before braising. Avocado oil and canola oil are my two go to cooking oils. I also use coconut oil sometimes, especially for making crepes and cookies.

Arrowroot flour became my go-to gluten-free, more nutritious starch since I jump started a healthy living and eating journey a while back. You may substitute with starch of your choice.

I use arrowroot flour in this recipe to coat the pork chops before pan frying. It is also the secret for the velvet looking of the sauce.

The super delicious red braised sauce includes Shaoxing wine, Naturally Aged soy sauce, Light Soy Sauce, Zhenjiang vinegar, and sugar in the raw.

Regular or naturally aged soy sauce is the traditional old-fashioned soy sauce, known as “Jiang You 酱油}. Light vs. Dark Soy Sauce is modern time Cantonese inventions. Typically, you can use dark soy sauce to substitute Jiang You.

Key steps to cook perfect braised pork chops Shanghai Style:

Pound the meat first using a meat tenderizer

Rinse pork chops well and pat-fry with a paper towel. Use a meat tenderizer, pound the pork chops, both sides.

Coat the pork chops with arrowroot flour before pan frying

Coat the pork chops with a very thin layer of arrowroot flour by sprinkling a thin layer of arrowroot flour over pork chops, both sides, and then pat to rub into the pork chops evenly.

Pan fry the pork chops on both sides until browned

Turn the heat on medium-high and heat the frying pan for 1 minute. Add oil, ginger slices and half of the chopped green onion. Lay pork chops flat into the frying pan, gently press down and let it cook for 3 minutes. Then flip the pork chops and cook other side and cook for 2 minutes.

Braise pan fried pork chops with this delicious sauce

Pour the briasing sauce over pork chops in a circula motion, cover the frying pan with a lid and let it cook for 10 minutes.

Remove the lid, flip the pork chops, and use a chopstick to poke the pork chops’ thickest part. If the chopstick can go through easily, then they are done. If not, add the lid back on and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

You shall notice the sauce is thickening by now. Turn off the heat, flip again and wrap the pork chops with the sauce in the pan.

All done! Serve the pork chops with several spoons of sauces from the pan and garnish with the remaining green onions.

Do you like Shanghai style dishes, make sure you check out other classical dishes too:

Braised Pork Chops Recipe {Shanghai Hong Shao Da Pai}

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 lbs pork chops, bone-in, about 3 or 4 pcs depending on the size and thickness of the pork chops. See notes.
2.5 tbsp arrowroot flour
2 stalks of green onions, chopped
2 tsp cooking oil, such as avocado oil or canola oil
10 thin slices of ginger, organic preferred

For the Red Braising Sauce:

2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
2.5 tbsp aged (dark) soy sauce
1.5 tbsp light soy sauce
3/4 tbsp Zhenjiang vinegar
3/4 tbsp sugar, turbinado sugar preferred
1 cup of water

Instructions

Preparation:

Gather ingredients. Wash and rinse the pork chops well and pat dry with a paper towel.
Use a meat tenderizer, pound each pork chop firmly, both sides.
Drizzle arrowroot flour evenly over each side of the pork chop and pat gently. Do this to both sides and for all pork chops.
Prepare the sauce - add everything under "For the Red Braising Sauce" into a small bowl, mix well and set aside. .

Pan-Fry Pork Chops:

Turn the heat to medium-high, heat a hard-anodized frying pan for 1 minute. Spray 2 tsp canola oil evenly into the pan using a homemade oil sprayer. Add sliced ginger and chopped green onion. Save some green onion for garnishing.
Lay pork chops flat onto the pan, gently press down and cook for 3 minutes, or until browned.
Flip the pork chops and cook the other side for 2 minutes, or until browned.

Braise Pork Chops:

Pour the sauce over the pork chops in a circula motion, cover the lid, and cook for 10 minutes.
The liquid is thickening in the pan by now.
Flip the pork chops and use a chopstick to poke the thickest part of the pork chop. If the chopstick can easily go through the pork chops, then they are done. If not, cover the lid and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
To serve, add pork chops to the plate, and then add 1 tbsp sauce from the frying pan and garnish with the remaining green onions.

Notes

For regular sized pork chops, say each pork chop weights under 0.5 lb, it requires about 10 minutes braising. For the super-sized pork chops, say each pork chop weights around 0.65 lb, then you will need additional 5-10 minutes braising.

Recommended Ingredients:

Arrowroot flour, avocado oil, canola oil, Shaoxing wine, naturally aged soy sauce {Jiang You}, light soy sauce, Zhenjiang vinegar, turbinado sugar {sugar in the raw}.

Recommended Kitchen Tools & Gadgets:

12-inch hard anodized frying-pan, meat tenderizer, slotted turner, wood cutting board.