I love pork chops and eat them regularly, and am always looking to utilize different marinades or sauces to keep things interesting. If you are looking to try out a different, yet rich and luxurious style of sauce, then adapting Chinese sticky plum glaze turns your ho-hum weeknight dinner into an extraordinary one!

Our recipe marries a store-bought Chinese plum sauce with additional flavors – sweet chili, soy, honey, and herbs – to build brilliantly complementary flavor layers that pair perfectly with succulent pork steaks. The glaze is designed to be sweet and bright at first, then subtly introduces a salty buffer that provides a welcome mix of contrasting texture with every bite you take.

The sticky plum glaze is quick to make, visually appealing, and adds layers of yummy sweetness to bone-in or boneless chops, ribs, and pork medallions. The speed with which the sauce comes together helps keep frying quick and simple, so you don’t overcook and dry out the meat.

There is also room for versatility with this sauce, should you have plenty of time. An alternative I found is making the sauce ahead as a marinade and introducing it to the meat an hour or two prior to cooking. I found that marinating creates a deeper richness of flavor, but lacks some of the pop of the sauce. If using this method, make sure to reserve at least 1/3 of the sticky glaze sauce for pouring over the finished plate – as it is the highlight of the whole dinner!

You can create a delicious glaze and cook the pork chops in well under half an hour, just add a creamy mash or some steamed greens to match with the meat (I go for a medley of broccoli, beans and pak choy). Sticky glazed plum pork sauce is a terrific way to jazz up an old favorite on any night of the week!