Ginger Soy Pork Chops

Pasteles batch two. Sixteen more Saturday. Total: forty-six. I need seventy-two by Christmas Eve, which is twelve days away. Two more Saturdays at this pace will do it.

Mami did not come Saturday. She was too tired. I drove her a small plate of dinner that evening. She ate three bites. She said, "Carmen, I am tired." I said, "Mami, I know. Rest." She said, "Come tomorrow." I came Sunday morning with coffee and flan. She ate half the flan. She drank the coffee. She said, "Thank you." She went back to bed at 11 AM. I sat in her apartment for an hour. Carmen the aide came at noon. I drove home.

Eduardo was painting the back porch trim when I got home. He had decided Saturday morning to paint it, without mentioning it to me, because Eduardo does things like this — projects appear — and the porch trim has needed painting since 2019. I stood on the grass and watched him paint. He was sixty-four years old and on a ladder with a brush. He said, "Carmen, do not say anything." I said, "Eduardo." He said, "I know the ladder is not ideal." I said, "Eduardo." He said, "I am careful." I said, "Come down." He came down. I said, "I am going to hold the ladder from now on." He said, "Okay." I held the ladder for an hour while he finished the trim. He finished. The trim is white. The porch looks better. Eduardo did not fall.

Sofía came Sunday for dinner after her finals on Friday. She is done for the semester. She has a week off before her next rotation starts. She wants to use it to sleep for a decade. I fed her pot roast and mashed potatoes — comfort food, plain — and she ate slowly and she said, "Ma, I need this." I said, "Mija, you are home. Home is food."

Food bank Monday was a pernil (by request; the regulars will not let me go a week without asking for it anymore). Thursday was habichuelas.

Next week is the third pasteles batch. I am aiming for sixteen more. Then Christmas week I will do ten more. Total seventy-two.

Eduardo at 10 PM said, "Carmen, are you okay?" I said, "Eduardo, I am tired. But okay." He said, "Mami is fading." I said, "Yes." He said, "I can see it." I said, "I can see it." He said, "We can slow down the pasteles." I said, "No, Eduardo. The pasteles are for Mami." He nodded. He did not argue. Wepa.

Pasteles take everything — your hands, your hours, your Saturdays — and there is no shortcut, and I would not want one. But in between those big kitchen days, I still need something for our own table that is fast and rich and worth sitting down for. Eduardo finished that porch trim. Sofía came home. Mami ate half a flan. These Ginger Soy Pork Chops are what I reach for in those in-between moments: a quick marinade, a hot pan, and something that tastes like you worked all day even when the real work is being saved for Saturday.

Prep Time: 10 min (plus 30 min marinating) | Cook Time: 14 min | Total Time: 54 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 bone-in pork chops (about 3/4 inch thick, 6–8 oz each)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon neutral oil (such as avocado or vegetable), for the pan
2 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish
Sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Make the marinade. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, grated ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, and black pepper until the sugar dissolves.
Marinate the pork. Place the pork chops in a shallow dish or zip-top bag and pour the marinade over them. Turn to coat evenly. Marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 8 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before cooking.
Heat the pan. Heat a large heavy skillet or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Add the neutral oil and swirl to coat. The pan should be hot enough that a drop of water sizzles immediately.
Sear the chops. Remove pork chops from the marinade and shake off excess, reserving the marinade. Add the chops to the pan without crowding. Sear undisturbed for 5–7 minutes per side, until deep golden-brown with an internal temperature of 145°F.
Glaze. In the final 2 minutes of cooking, pour the reserved marinade into the pan. Let it bubble and reduce, spooning it over the chops as it thickens into a glaze.
Rest and serve. Transfer chops to a plate and let rest 5 minutes. Spoon any remaining glaze from the pan over the top. Garnish with sliced scallions and sesame seeds. Serve with steamed rice or roasted vegetables.

Nutrition (per serving)

Ginger Soy Pork Chops — For the Weeks When the Pasteles Keep You Going