Instant Pot Pork Chops in Hong Kong Tomato Sauce

By gbvampy1

Ingredients

• 4 4 4 boneless pork loin chops (1.25 inches thick)
• Marinade
• 1/2 1/2 1/2 teaspoon (2.3 g) white sugar
• 1/4 1/4 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) salt
• 1/4 1/4 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) sesame oil
• 1 1 1 tablespoon (15 ml) light soy sauce (not low sodium soy sauce)
• 1/2 1/2 1/2 tablespoon (7.5 ml) dark soy sauce
• Other Ingredients
• 1 1 1 medium onion, sliced
• 4 4 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1 1 small shallot, diced
• 8 8 8 mushrooms, sliced
• 50 50 1/5 ml tomato paste (roughly 1/5 cup)
• 2 2 2 tablespoons (30 ml) ketchup
• 1 1 1 tablespoon (15 ml) peanut oil
• 1 1 1 tablespoon (14 g) white sugar
• 1 1 1 teaspoon (5 ml) Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1 1 cup (250 ml) of water
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 1 1/2 2 tablespoon (12 g) cornstarch mixed with 2 (30 ml) tablespoons water

Details

Servings 2
Preparation time 10mins
Cooking time 30mins

Preparation

Step 1

Tenderize the Pork Chops: Use the backend of a heavy knife, pound both sides of the pork chops to tenderize the meat.
Marinate the Pork Chops: Marinate the tenderized pork chops for 20 minutes with ½ teaspoon (2.3 g) of sugar, ¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) of salt, ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of light soy sauce, and ½ tablespoon (7.5 ml) of dark soy sauce.
Prepare the Pressure Cooker: Heat up your pressure cooker (Instant Pot: press Sauté). Make sure your pot is as hot as it can be when you place the pork chops into the pot (Instant Pot: wait until the indicator says HOT). This will prevent the pork chops from sticking to the pot.
Prepare the Other Ingredients: Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel and prepare the rest of the ingredients as listed.
Sauté the Pork Chops: Add peanut oil into the pot. Ensure to coat the oil over the whole bottom of the pot. Add the marinated pork chops into the pot, then let it brown for roughly 1 – 1 ½ minute on each side (don’t need to keep flipping). Do not let it burn. Remove and set aside.
Brown the Onion, Shallot, Garlic, and Mushrooms: Add in the sliced onions, diced shallot and stir. Add a pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper to season if you like. Cook the onions and shallot for roughly 1 minute until soften. Then, add garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add in the mushrooms and cook for another minute. Taste seasoning and adjust with more kosher salt and ground black pepper if necessary.
Deglaze: Add ¼ cup (63 ml) of water and fully deglaze the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
Create the Tomato Sauce: Add in ¾ cup (188 ml) of water, 2 tablespoon (30 ml) of ketchup, 1 tablespoon (14 g) of sugar, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of Worcestershire sauce, and 50 ml tomato paste (See Tips). Mix well.
Pressure Cook the Pork Chops: Place the pork chops back with all the meat juice into the pot. Close lid and pressure cook at High Pressure for 1 minute (Electric and Stovetop Pressure Cookers). Turn off the heat and let it fully Natural Release (roughly 10 minutes). Open the lid carefully.
Taste & Thicken the Tomato Sauce: Remove the pork chops and set aside. Turn heat to medium (Instant Pot: Press sauté button). Taste the seasoning one more time. Add more salt and pepper if desired. Mix the cornstarch with water and mix it into the tomato sauce one third at a time until desired thickness.
Serve: Drizzle the tomato sauce over the pork chops and serve immediately with side dishes!