Suon Nuong (Vietnamese Pork Chops) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup shallot, thinly sliced
1/4 cup lemongrass, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons nuoc nam
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 lb pork chop, pounded thin (cut 1/4 inch thick)
6 cups cooked white rice
nuoc cham sauce, for serving (Vietnamese chili-garlic sauce)

Preparation

Heat 1/2 cup of sugar in a 1-qt heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, swirling pan often, until sugar dissolves and turns to liquid caramel.
Remove from heat; add 1/4 cup boiling water. Return pan to heat; cook, swirling pan gently, until caramel dissolves in water.
Remove from heat and let cool.
Transfer to a food processor along with remaining sugar, shallots, lemongrass, oil, soy sauce, fish sauce, pepper, and garlic; puree until smooth.
Place pork chops in a 9\" x 13\" baking dish and pour over puree; cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
Heat a 12\" cast-iron grill pan over high heat. Working in batches, add chops; cook, turning once, until charred in spots and cooked through, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately with rice and chili-garlic sauce.