Pork Chops Take On an Asian Persuasion

Show: Chopped
Pork chop rice bowls

Vietnamese Grilled Smoked Pork Chop Rice Bowls

Photo by: Petrina Tinslay

Petrina Tinslay

Chopped Dinner Challenge The Chopped Dinner Challenge is a new series of recipes showing you how easy it is to cook like a winning Chopped competitor. Every week, FN Dish will showcase a recipe created by Food Network Kitchens that uses at least one of the Chopped basket ingredients, plus basic grocery goods and simple staples. Consider it your very own Chopped challenge. Just take this frequent tip from the judges: Don’t forget to season!

For this week's Chopped Dinner Challenge, the chefs of Food Network Kitchens chose to feature the basket ingredient smoked pork chops, which have a ton of smokehouse flavor that can work with a number of dishes. But the pork takes on an Asian inspiration in this recipe for Vietnamese Grilled Smoked Pork Chop Rice Bowls, which uses the smoked pork to top a flavorful and filling rice bowl. It's a supper your family will appreciate for its sweet, savory and spicy tastes. Plus it's infinitely more fun and creative than ordering takeout.

To give this recipe an Asian flair, make a sauce with sugar, water, fish sauce, garlic, lime juice and zest and chile flakes. But don't be afraid of the fish sauce — a little bit of this flavor enhancer, which is even better than soy sauce, goes a long way for lending a savory flavor that isn't fishy at all. You'll use most of this sauce for serving, but reserve 1/4 cup for brushing the chops before grilling. To make the pickled carrots, you'll want to mix together vinegar, sugar and a little salt for the brine.

The best part about this recipe is that the chops are fully cooked, so you don't have to worry about undercooking the pork, which is a common fear. But to add some nice char and at the same time reheat the chops, grill them on an outdoor grill or in a grill pan. After you've gotten your grill marks, slice the chops thinly against the grain and divide among the bowls of rice. Top each with the pickled carrots, cilantro and sauce. Try these rice bowls on your family for dinner tonight and watch them explore a new culture through its flavors.