Slow Cooker Sambal Pork Chops

 

My oh my.  This  is so comforting I could not stop tasting and then devouring  it.  The mixture of just enough of everything, heat, saltiness and sweetness, makes you want more and more over your rice.  It is a rice guzzler so have enough of it.  The addition of diced tomatoes helps in enriching the sauce or else it would have been another Asian tasting dish.  So heavenly good.

I adapted this from the recipe I saw at the Valerie's Cooking show at Food Network.  She used almost the same ingredients except for the meat.  She used chicken while I used pork chops. She and I used bottled chili garlic paste or sauce to give the kick that sambal dishes are known for.  She also utilized fresh garlic, onions, galangal and lemon grass.  I did not bother to buy those two last exotic items and just substituted ginger powder for the galangal and plain lemon juice for the lemon grass.  I also used dry onion flakes and garlic powder instead of fresh ones.  It was one of those days.   Too busy to cut anything or sauté them.  Valerie sautéed some of her ingredients but I did not.  I just dumped them in the slow cooker which incidentally is my new Crock Pot brand Casserole Slow Cooker.

As I mentioned previously every flavor was subtle but together they form a rocking move on your tongue. This is a very good dish on  a busy day when you are too lazy to cut any ingredients or saute anything.

Slow Cooker Sambal Pork Chops

Inspired by the recipe from Valerie's Cooking

• 3 lb assorted pork chops
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/4 cup garlic chili paste
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp dry onion flakes
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1-28 oz can diced tomatoes
• cilantro leaves

Combine all the sauce ingredients except the pork and cilantro in the slow cooker and mix. Place the pork chops on top and cover with sauce.  Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours at low. I cooked mine in the Crock Pot Casserole Slow cooker at high for four hours.

Serve with rice topped with cilantro leaves.