Cornmeal-crusted pork chops | Tender and crispy
(0)
35 min
Under an hour
Sezamo
Cotlete fragede de porc învelite într-o crustă rustică și aurie de mălai cu cimbru și usturoi, prăjite la tigaie până devin crocante la exterior și suculente la interior. O reinterpretare tradițională savuroasă, perfectă pentru un prânz de toamnă.
Preparation method
Meat preparation and flavourful marinating
Cut the pork loin into 4 generous slices, about 1.5 cm thick. Place each slice between two sheets of cling film and pound gently with a meat mallet, just enough to tenderise the fibres without making it too thin, keeping a thickness of about 8-10 mm for optimal juiciness.
Peel the garlic cloves and crush them finely into a smooth paste. Season the pork chops on both sides with fine table salt, ground black pepper, sweet paprika, dried thyme, and rub them with the garlic paste. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes to absorb the flavours.
Breading in a golden cornmeal crust
Prepare three shallow dishes for breading: put the white wheat flour into the first; beat the three fresh eggs with a pinch of salt and a little pepper until smooth in the second; and place the cornmeal (mălai) in the third.
Chef's tip
Using finely ground cornmeal provides an extremely crispy crust characteristic of traditional Romanian cuisine, which seals all the juiciness of the pork inside.
Make sure the oil is well heated before adding the chops; if the heat is too low, the crust will absorb oil and lose its characteristic crispy texture.
27 min
Under an hour
