Pork chops served with coconut crisp have started to appear on several Manhattan menus as September gets underway. On Friday night in the East Village, chef Aisha Rahman at Little Kettle plated bone-in pork chops with a topping of toasted coconut flakes, fried shallots, and chili. Diners asked for extra crisp on the side, according to the restaurant’s manager.
The dish, inspired by recipes circulating online and in food magazines, reflects a broader interest in Southeast Asian ingredients. At a Chelsea grocery store on Ninth Avenue this week, unsweetened coconut and jars of sambal oelek were stocked at eye level. A sales clerk said customers are asking for recommendations on how to use coconut in savory meals.
At midday on Thursday, grocery shoppers in Jackson Heights bought ingredients for home versions of the recipe, citing recent articles and social media posts as their source. One customer, Linda P., said she planned to try pork chops with coconut crisp for a family dinner, adding that the topping "seems like it would go on anything."
While the coconut crisp trend might not last beyond the season, chefs and home cooks are making use of fall produce—apples, squash, and bitter greens—to pair with pork and the aromatic topping. The cost of pork chops at neighborhood butchers has held steady this month, with several shops offering center-cut chops for $8 to $11 per pound.
As the weather cools and back-to-school routines begin, the combination of savory pork and sweet-spicy coconut adds a new flavor to autumn tables.