My friend's Indonesian husband Jules could cook like nobody's business, and his peanut sauce was legendary, but it called for hard-to-find ingredients and a lot of sugar. This is my simplified, Paleo-friendly take: juicy air-fried pork chops with a creamy coconut-lime peanut marinade that doubles as a dipping sauce or salad dressing. Just 25 minutes of hands-on and cook time. Selamat Makan!
Whisk together. Use half on pork chops.
Warm the sauce over low heat for about 5 minutes ... thin with coconut milk and water as needed.
As a salad dressing, add 3-4 Tbsp more water and a squeeze of lime juice. Splash a little more coconut milk for creaminess. Whisk well until smooth and creamy.
Coat well with half the marinade; refrigerate 2 to 4 hours or overnight.
Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F. Line basket with parchment paper.
Shake off excess marinade ... don't overload or it will burn.
Air fry 12-14 minutes, flip at 7 minutes with tongs.
Cook until internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer is 145 degrees F; rest 5 minutes before eating.
Serve with cauliflower rice or brown jasmine rice, sliced cucumber or shredded cabbage with peanut or other Asian salad dressing, fresh chopped cilantro and a lime wedge, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for extra heat if desired.
2 servings
1 pork chop