serves 2
Some people collect stamps, others vintage bartender guides or mounted rare butterflies. Me, I’m cultivating a prodigious collection of condiments that’s slowly taking over the entirety of the fridge, much to my husband’s dismay. Every few years, I’m forced to downsize, clearing the way to let in the new. And in an effort to use up some things, I rediscovered kimchi, a potent, mouth-searing Korean condiment made from fermented cabbage, garlic, and chiles.
At Korean restaurants, it’s often an accompaniment, but I wanted its peppery pungency to be more integrated into a main dish.
So I decided to try rubbing chopped-up kimchi all over some pork chops, then panfrying them.
I thought this would be a fine idea. But once I took my golden brown chops out of the skillet, most of the kimchi—along with its vibrant flavor—remained behind. The easiest solution was to make a little kimchi pan sauce.
To deglaze the pan, I added a splash of dry vermouth and simmered it down, but somehow the alcohol intensified the kimchi, making it even more assertive and biting than before—maybe a little too biting, I thought, as I squinted through the sourness.
So I tossed in a big lump of butter and a squirt of honey to tame the aggressive flavors, mellowing the harshness while allowing the racy garlic and chile notes to enliven the meaty pork. The dish was so good that my husband, noticing the empty kimchi container, told me later that he even contemplated suggesting we stock up. But then, unable to fit the leftovers into the fridge, he didn’t.
4 (1-inch-thick) bone-in pork chops
6 tablespoons chopped kimchi (sold in Asian markets)
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup white wine or vermouth
1 to 2 teaspoons honey, or to taste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Chopped scallions, for garnish
1. Smear the pork chops with 2 tablespoons of the kimchi, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours (the longer, the better).
2. Wipe off the pork to remove the pieces of clinging kimchi, and add those pieces to the remaining 4 tablespoons kimchi. In a large skillet over high heat, heat the oil. Sear the pork until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes a side. Reduce the heat to low and cook the pork until done to taste, about 7 minutes more, turning once. Transfer the pork to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
3. Add the wine or vermouth, 1 teaspoon of the honey, and the kimchi to the skillet. Raise the heat to high and simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until almost all the liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the butter. Taste and add more honey, if needed; the sauce should be tart but not puckery.
4. Serve the pork chops coated with the sauce and garnished with scallions.