Zha Paigu (Taiwanese Fried Pork Chops)

Name: Zha Paigu (Taiwanese Fried Pork Chops)
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon, soy sauce; 1 tablespoon, michiu; 2 , garlic cloves, minced to paste; 1½ teaspoons, sugar; 1½ teaspoons, water; ¾ teaspoon, five-spice powder; ½ teaspoon, table salt; ¼ teaspoon, white pepper; 2 (8- to 10-ounce), bone-in pork rib chops, ¾ to 1 inch thick; 2 , large eggs; 1 cup coarse, sweet potato starch; 3 cups, vegetable oil for frying

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Appears in Cook's Illustrated September/October 2022

Main Courses

Pork

Weeknight

Taiwan’s zha paigu are meaty, juicy, fragrant with heady five-spice powder—and unsurpassed in their crispiness.

SERVES4

TIME1¼ hours, plus 1 hour marinating

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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

For juicy, crispy zha paigu, we started with bone-in rib chops because they cook up tender and juicy. Pounding the chops ¼ inch thick ensured that they cooked quickly yet still offered plenty of meaty chew. We soaked the chops in a superfla...

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