Serves 4 | Difficulty: Medium
This one’s for pork chop fans and meal preppers. We’re working with the SAME core ingredients for both dishes, but they’re bringing totally different flavor vibes: Lemongrass Pork Chop and Air Fryer Tonkatsu!
Whenever I can whip up two totally different dishes using the same ingredients, it’s like winning the foodie jackpot. Less effort, double the deliciousness – I call it foodie math! The secret to achieving this is in the sauces.
We have a sweet umami and citrusy nuoc cham dipping sauce for one and a spicy and tangy mayo dressing for the other. Yum!
For this plan, a little prep goes a long way. Marinate the meat and prep the veggies a day ahead. Given the hardiness of the vegetables, you can even start prepping them up to 3 days in advance.
The recipe steps are a tad longer this time, but that’s because I want to make sure you get the best results. I promise you it’s not as complicated as it seems.
The trickiest part might be tracking down lemongrass at your local grocery store. Look for the paste version in the herb aisle and fresh lemongrass in the produce section, especially at Asian stores.
When it’s time to cook, you’ll be sitting down to dinner in just 10 minutes.
Julienned carrots are entirely optional – they can be a bit of a pain to chop. If you have a nifty julienning tool (like this one) or a food processor with a grater disc, they’re a breeze. Alternatively, you can shave off some long, thin strips using a vegetable peeler and toss them into your salad.
If you don’t need all 4 servings, the Lemongrass Pork Chops store nicely in the fridge for up to 2 days. As for the extra tonkatsu, hold off on air-frying them. Store them separated by parchment paper. When you’re ready to eat, pop them in the air fryer.
Check out my Getting Started guide to learn how to use this meal plan.
Blanching vegetables serves 2 purposes: (1) It prevents loss of flavor, color, and texture—extending the “life” of the vegetable throughout the week, and (2) it gives us a head start in the cooking process for stir-fries. Stir-frying generally only takes 5 minutes. If you start from raw, some pieces won’t cook as evenly as others (especially hardy vegetables like broccoli). Blanching pre-cooks each piece of veggie so you will have a consistent tasting stir-fry every time. This is a well-known technique used in many Chinese restaurants!
Here’s how:
Store in an air-tight container in the fridge to keep maximum freshness. Use them within 7-10 days. If you suspect it has gone bad – the color has changed (e.g. turns brown), there is visible mold, the texture is mushy – toss them. Always err on the side of caution to avoid food poisoning.
Store in meal prep containers or in the bags they come with in the crisper drawer. If a vegetable has a high-water content and tends to go limp quick, wrap it with a paper towel before storing it in the fridge. The paper towel absorbs excess liquid that will prevent it from wilting or turning mushy.
As a general guideline, try to use seafood within 2 days of purchase. For this reason, I always place recipes with seafood earlier in the Meal Plan Menu. Meat can typically last 4-5 days. If you won’t be using meat and seafood, best to freeze them right away. Vacuum seal before freezing to prevent freezer burn.
Properly frozen foods are good for up to 6 months before their flavor and texture start to lessen.
If you do not have a vacuum sealer, wrap fish and meat tightly with saran wrap, then wrap tightly with aluminum foil. Store in a Ziploc bag, squeezing as much air out as possible. Date them and pop them in the freezer for later use.
When thawing vacuum sealed food, especially fish, puncture a hole or cut a slit in the bag to prevent the risk of botulism. Botulism thrives in low oxygen environment, which is what vacuum sealing does. (Note: when botulism grows, the smell and texture of the fish will not change, but the toxins it produces can be deadly.)
Use different cutting boards for your proteins and veggies. Always wash and disinfect knives when switching from meat to veggies to prevent cross-contamination. It goes without saying that you should clean your produce before consumption and preparation.
During prep, always start with food cooked at the lowest temperature first, working your way up. For example, chopped scallions are often used as garnish and will be consumed raw, so chop them before potatoes (which you will cook so the risk is lower). Likewise, you would prepare salad greens first.
The same principle applies when keeping them in the fridge. Don’t stack raw chicken above fish – any juices from the chicken that trickle into the fish would pose a risk. Should the chicken be contaminated with salmonella, the time and temperature at which you would cook fish to perfection is not enough to kill the bacteria.
If you used whole lemongrass stalks, peel off tough outer layers and cut off root end. Vacuum seal and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. No vacuum sealer? Place lemongrass stalks on a baking sheet, leaving space between them. Then place in the freezer for 1 hour until frozen. Then transfer to an airtight Ziploc bag and remove as much air as possible before sealing.
Do you love crispy pork katsu but hate the deep-frying mess and guilt? Me too!
That’s why I’m so excited to share this amazing recipe with you. It’s one of my top favorites because it gives you that extra golden crispy crust and juicy pork with only 1 Tbsp of oil per cutlet. Yes, you read that right. Only 1 Tbsp of oil!
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| ingredient | quantity | unit | category | notes | list type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| brown sugar | 2 | Tbsp | condiments and spices | pantry | ||
| fish sauce | 0.25 | cup | condiments and spices | pantry | ||
| honey | 1 | Tbsp | condiments and spices | pantry | ||
| ketchup | 1 | tsp | condiments and spices | pantry | ||
| kewpie mayo | 3 | Tbsp | condiments and spices | pantry | ||
| rice vinegar | 1 | Tbsp | condiments and spices | pantry | ||
| sesame oil | 0.5 | tsp | condiments and spices | pantry | ||
| soy sauce | 1 | Tbsp | condiments and spices | pantry | ||
| sriracha | 1 | tsp | condiments and spices | pantry | ||
| sugar | 1.7 | Tbsp | condiments and spices | pantry | ||
| tonkatsu sauce | 0.25 | cup | condiments and spices | pantry | ||
| baking soda | 0.25 | tsp | misc. dry goods | pantry | ||
| cornstarch | 2 | Tbsp | misc. dry goods | pantry | ||
| panko breadcrumbs | 3 | cup | misc. dry goods | pantry | ||
| cabbage | 1.125 | lb | produce | shopping | ||
| carrot | 0.5 | small | produce | shopping | ||
| garlic | 3 | clove | produce | shopping | ||
| lemongrass | 3 | stalk | produce | or 3 Tbsp lemongrass paste (Gourmet Garden brand) | shopping | |
| lime juice | 2 | Tbsp | produce | shopping | ||
| scallion | 1 | stalk | produce | optional | shopping | |
| shallot | 1 | small | produce | shopping | ||
| tomato | 2 | large | produce | shopping | ||
| thai chilies | 2 | small | produce | or red pepper flakes (adjust to your spice level) | shopping | |
| whole white peppercorn | 0.5 | tsp | condiments and spices | shopping | ||
| egg | 1 | large | dairy and misc. refrigerated items | shopping | ||
| pork chops | 2 | lb | meat and seafood | 8 pieces | shopping |
I’m a foodie with a simple philosophy: why should amazing food be reserved for the weekends alone? I’m all about making every meal delicious because, let’s face it, we only have so many meals in our lifetime.
My mission? To take the stress out of cooking with easy-to-use meal plans so you can enjoy mouthwatering recipes any day of week. Join me on this tasty journey and let’s savor “more taste, less waste” in every bite!
I’m a foodie with a simple philosophy: why should amazing food be reserved for the weekends alone? I’m all about making every meal delicious because, let’s face it, we only have so many meals in our lifetime.
My mission? To take the stress out of cooking with easy-to-use meal plans so you can enjoy mouthwatering recipes any day of week. Join me on this tasty journey and let’s savor “more taste, less waste” in every bite!
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