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Pork chops with lychees and micro salad
( SERVES 4 )

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Pork chops go with apple sauce, so why not lychees? It's a combination that has been popular in Chinese cooking for a long time.

3 Tbsp	Safflour oil, or light vegetable oil, plus extra for hotplate
1 piece	Lemongrass, smashed with a mallet
1	Red chilli, fresh, halved, seeded and chopped
2	Kaffir lime leaves, centre ribs removed, finely shredded
4	Pork chops
560 g	Lychees, drained, juice reserved
1 to taste	Salt

1½ cups	Bean sprouts, trimmed
2 cups	Microgreens
½ cup	Fresh mint, shredded
½ cup	Fresh coriander
2	Kaffir lime leaves, centre ribs removed, finely shredded
1 Tbsp	Fish sauce
2 Tbsp	Lime juice
¼ cup	Toasted peanuts, finely chopped
1 Tbsp	Lychee juice

Choose a dish large enough to hold the chops and add 2 tablesppons of the vegetable oil, 1 stem of lemon grass (smashed with a mallet), fresh hot red chilli (halved, seeded and chopped) and lime leaves (centre ribs removed, finely shredded).
Add the chops and turn to coat. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
To prepare the salad, put the sprouts, greens (about 50g of micro cress or baby greens with edible flower petals), herbs (shredded) and lime leaves (centre ribs removed, finely shredded) in a bowl and toss lightly.
Mix the fish sauce, lime juice and 1 tablespoon of lychee juice (reserved from the can of lychees) in a bowl.
Cook chops (or cutlets) on a preheated oiled hotplate over medium heat for 3-5 minutes a side until nearly cooked through.
Spoon on extra marinade to keep them sizzling as they cook.
Don't overcook the chops should have a pink tinge if cut open. Note that they continue to cook as they rest.
Alternatively, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and cook as described.
Towards the end of the cooking time, add lychees to the hotplate and cook for a few minutes.
Transfer the chops to a plate when they're done and season with salt. Spoon the lychees on the side or top.
Quickly mix the dressing through the salad, sprinkle the peanuts on top (optional), and serve with the pork chops and lychees.