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Braised Veal Chops with rosemary, ginger, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine are so tender and naturally delicious. Perfect to pair with freshly cooked rice + blanched vegetable, or bread + salad for a yummy & healthy weeknight dinner.
Veal Fun Facts
Veal is the meat of calves vs. beef from older cattle. Most veal comes from young male dairy calves typically up to 18 weeks old that weigh around 450 pounds.
Health and Nutrition Facts:
Veal has a pinkish color. It is tender and leaner than beef. Veal also has fewer calories but a higher amount of protein, vitamin B, and minerals such as zinc and niacin. No wonder some people call veal a nutritional powerhouse.
Ginger Fun Facts
Let’s talk a little about one of the key ingredients ginger or ginger roots as they are the root part of the overall plant.
Ginger is one of nature’s most impressive wonder plants. Experts consider ginger among the healthiest and most delicious spices on the planet of earth.
Speaking of its benefits & uses, ginger enjoys a reputation for having proven health benefits such as remedying nausea, and helping with weight loss, osteoarthritis, and high blood pressure.
The ginger plant is native to Southeast Asia. Throughout China’s long culinary history, ginger leads an important role in the traditional Chinese cooking of meat, poultry, and seafood. Ginger helps remove the unpleasant smell and replaces it with an enticing aroma.
Check out how I incorporate ginger in making yummy Red Braised Pork Belly, Red Braised Lion’s Head (Pork Meatball), Basa Fillet Saute, Nanjing Salted Duck, Braised Butterfish, and more.
According to TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), ginger has an inherent warming nature. Tea made of ginger and dark brown sugar is a popular drink during winter days to warm up bodies and fight against cold.
Ginger and turmeric both belong to the same large family, thus enjoy a similar remedy effect such as anti-inflammatory. Turmeric is literally called “yellow ginger” in Chinese.
Last but not least, did I mention ginger is a flowering plant that produces elegant, pure white flowers? Talking about a complete package.
What Do You Need to Make Braised Veal Chops?
Braised Veal Chops Ingredients Required:
Veal Chops
Cooking Oil – avocado oil and olive oil are my go-to cooking oils.
Rosemary – either fresh rosemary or dried rosemary will do.
Ginger – fresh ginger root slices.
Light Soy Sauce – A pinch of light soy sauce enhances the flavor nicely.
Shaoxing Wine – Shaoxing wine, an ancient Chinese cooking or drinking wine native to China’s Yangtze River Delta area, tenderizes and flavors the meat or poultry nicely.
Salt – Himalayan pink salt is my go-to salt besides sea salt.
Sugar – Organic sugar in the raw is my go-to sugar besides organic cane sugar.
Useful Kitchen Utensils to Help Cook Braised Veal Chops Easier
A Quality 12-inch Deep Fry-pan – This stainless steel Tri-ply deep fry-pan works out well.
A Slotted Turner – Slotted turner is my go-to kitchen utensils for folding, turning, and scooping out food from a pan. Very handy tool.
A Pair of Kitchen Tongs – A good pair of kitchen tongs shall work out well to turn the veal chops in the pan and drag them across the pan to caramelize veal chops.
How to Make Braised Veal Chops Perfectly?
Searing the Veal Chop before Braising
Searing the veal chops before braising is the key to tenderness. Heat the fry pan for 2 minutes, add oil and ginger slices. Move the ginger slices across the pan using a bamboo spatula to condition the pan.
A deep 12-inch stainless steel Tri-ply fry-pan works out great to cook 2 large pieces of veal chops.
Add one veal chop at a time. Gently press down, sprinkle with half of the salt and cook for 1 minute. Then flip the veal chop using a slotted turner or a pair of kitchen tongs and do the same.
Remove the seared veal chop from the pan and repeat for the other veal chops, if you are cooking two veal chops.
Braising and Caramelizing
Place both veal chops back into the pan. Pour the braising sauce in a circular motion over the veal chops. Light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, salt, sugar, rosemary, and water. The water should barely cover the veal chops. Cook for 10 minutes.
After having cooked for 10 minutes on medium-high, uncover the lid of the pan, flip the veal chops and braise the other side for another 10 minutes.
Caramelize for 5 minutes
By the end of the 20-minute mark, the liquid in the pan is disappearing. Turn the heat to simmer, and use a pair of kitchen tongs or long thick bamboo cooking chopsticks to drag the veal chops across the pan where the remaining juice is, typically around the edge of the pan, to caramelize them. Do this to both veal chops and both sides.
Veal Chops Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the best way to cook Veal Chops?
Sear the veal chops on both sides in a deep fry-pan. Add warm water to the pan which barely covers veal chops along with salt and seasonings. Cover the lid and cook for 10 minutes on medium-high heat. Flip the veal chops and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove the lid, turn the heat to simmer, and caramelize the veal chops for 5 minutes.
How long do you braise veal for?
20 minutes on medium-high heat. It cooks veal chops through, but veal chops maintain the juicy tenderness.
How to make Braised Veal Chops more satisfying?
Add just enough water for braising. The water should barely cover the veal chops in the pan. This way, the water shall mostly disappear by the end of the cooking, but just enough thickened sauce left in the pan to caramelize the meat.
Cover the lid during the first 20 minutes while boiling or braising on medium-high heat. Flip the veal chops halfway through. Remove the lid after 20 minutes, turn the heat to simmer, use the thickened sauce left in the pan to caramelize veal chops.
Like healthy, tasty Asian Fusion? Make sure you check out below:
Braised Veal Chops Recipe {Easy Delicious Asian Fusion}
Rosemary, ginger, and soy sauce work like magic together producing such incredibly tender and scrumptious veal chops. Suitable for all ages and perfect choices for weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Veal Chops
- 1 tsp avocado oil, or other types of cooking oil
- 2 g ginger, thin sliced
- 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- 1 stem of parsley, chopped, optional, as garnishing
- 1 1/4 cup of water, for braising, or enough to barely cover the veal chops
For Braising Sauce:
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp Shaoxing wine
- 3/4 tsp sugar in the raw or cane sugar
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
Instructions
- Wash and rinse the veal chop and pat dry with a paper towel
- Add everything under "For Braising Sauce" to a small bowl, mix well and set it aside.
- Turn the heat on medium-high, and heat a 12-inch deep fry-pan pan for 1 minute.
- Add oil and ginger slices to the pan. Slide the ginger across the bottom of the pan using a bamboo spatula to condition the pan and get a ginger aroma.
- Sear the veal chops - Add veal chops to the pan, gently press down the veal chop, sprinkle half of the salt, and cook for 1 minute.
- Flip the veal chop and repeat.
- Pour the braising sauce from the small bowl in a circular motion over the veal chops, along with 1 cup of water or so. Water should barely cover the veal chops.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 10 minutes. Flip the veal chops halfway through.
- Remove the lid. The liquid in the pan should be almost disappearing by now but just enough thickened sauce to caramelize the veal chops. Turn the heat to simmer, and use a pair of tongs or bamboo thick chopsticks to drag the veal chops across the pan where the remaining thickened sauce is. Do this to both chops and both sides. About 5 minutes.
Notes
- For ease of use, this recipe is designed to provide recipe guidance in light of the actual weight of the veal chops you are cooking. For instance, If you are cooking 3 lb veal chops, then 3x the ingredients except for the water accordingly.
- If you are cooking multiple veal chops, and the pan does not have space to sear at once, then sear one veal chop at a time. After one veal chop is done, remove it from the pan and sear the other one. Once all the veal chops are properly seared, add them back to the pan and braise them together.
- The package I get from our local grocery store usually weighs about 3 lb and contains two large bone-in veal chops.
- Water should be at a level that barely covers the veal chops. This way, once the cooking is done and the water is also about to disappear. If you like some juice left in the pan, then add a little bit more water so that toward the end of the 10 minutes of braising there is still enough juice left.
- Veal chops usually have natural dividers where the tender tendons connect different parts of the meat. Right before the caramelizing step, use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut loose the tendons to make the size more manageable and easier to serve.
Recommended Products
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Avocado Oil -
Soeos Whole Black Peppercorns 18OZ + Himalayan Salt 38oz + Grinders 2 Packs. -
KitchenAid Classic Slotted Turner, One Size, Black -
Sugar in the Raw Unrefined Sugar - 32 oz - 2 pk, Set of 2 -
Shaoxing Wine -
Light Soy Sauce -
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Naturevibe Botanicals Organic Whole Rosemary leaf, 1 Pound...[Packaging may vary] -
Tramontina 80116/073DS Gourmet Stainless Steel Induction-Ready Tri-Ply Clad Covered Deep Saute Pan, 6-Quart, NSF-Certified, Made in Brazil
Nutrition Information
Yield 2 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 723Total Fat 40gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 22gCholesterol 307mgSodium 616mgCarbohydrates 4gFiber 0gSugar 3gProtein 81g
Nutrition calculation is provided by Nutritionix to the best knowledge per ingredients description and isn't always accurate.
