Grilled Indian Pork Cutlets
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These Grilled Indian Pork Cutlets are easy to make, and incredibly juicy and flavorful! Pork cutlets are marinated with fresh Asian aromatics, yogurt, spices and seasonings, and lemon juice, then are grilled until wonderfully juicy on the inside and perfectly charred on the outside! Feel free to use pork chops or steaks instead of pork cutlets.
And so, the summer grilling continues!!
This week we have AMAZINGLY flavorful, incredibly juicy, and mouthwatering Grilled Indian Pork Cutlets!! 😍
The marinade is similar to the tasty one that I’ve used in my Panner Tikka Kathi Rolls, Chicken Tikka Naanza (Naan Pizza!), Chicken Tikka Nachos, Tikka Masala Pork Ribs, Spicy Indian Pan-fried Salmon, Oven Grilled Chicken Tikka Drumettes, and for the paneer in this Paneer Butter Masala (Paneer Makhani). If you’ve tried ANY of these recipes, you KNOW these Grilled Indian Pork Cutlets are simply EPIC!
While I’ve used pork cutlets here, you’re welcome to use pork porterhouse steaks, pork chops, or other thick pork cuts that are good for grilling. Regardless of the cut you use, I guarantee that you’ll love this juicy and delicious Indian-style grilled pork!
Why This Recipe Works
- It’s easy to make, and perfect for summer gatherings or an easy weeknight main dish.
- The flavor-packed Indian pork marinade results in SUPER tasty pork cutlets!
- Seasoning the pork steaks with salt flavors it, and also tenderizes the meat. The yogurt and lemon juice in the marinade also help to tenderize the meat.
- You can serve it as an appetizer with some fresh herbs, lemon wedges, sliced cucumber and onion, and cilantro and mint sauce for dipping, or enjoy it as a main with steamed rice.
- You can cook it indoors on a grill pan/griddle or cast-iron skillet on the stovetop, or on an outdoor BBQ grill.
Ingredients
- Pork: I used bone-in pork cutlets, which is a loin cut that’s great for grilling, pan-frying, or barbequing. But you can use pork porterhouse steaks or pork chops (bone-in or boneless) instead if you like.
- Kosher Salt: To flavor and tenderize the pork.
- Garam Masala: Store-bought is fine, but homemade tastes so much better! Check out my homemade garam masala post which you can easily whip up for these grilled Indian pork cutlets, and also use for other Indian recipes.
- Ground Cayenne: Traditionally, Kashmiri chili powder is used in Indian cooking. I prefer the taste of ground cayenne, but either will work. Feel free to leave it out if you’d like to make the cutlets mild, or adjust the quantity to taste.
- Red Chilies: I used Bird’s Eye chilies, but any hot red chilies will work. Adjust the amount to taste, or omit if a milder flavor is desired.
- Lemon: For freshly squeezed lemon juice. The lemon also acts as a tenderizer for the meat.
- Greek Style Yogurt: Or use plain whole milk yogurt.
- Orange/Red Food Color Powder: This is optional, and used solely for color as it has no effect on the flavor. You can substitute with 1-2 drops of red or orange liquid food coloring, or leave it out completely.
- Canola Oil: Or use any neutral flavored cooking oil with a high smoke point.
- To Serve: Chopped coriander (cilantro), chopped mint leaves, lemon wedges for squeezing, cilantro and mint sauce, sliced red onion, sliced cucumber, steamed rice (optional).
Full ingredient list and amounts are in the recipe card below.
How to Make Grilled Indian Pork Cutlets
1. Season the pork with kosher salt. If your cutlets are very thick, use a meat mallet to evenly pound them until they are ½-inch thick pieces. Transfer to a plate and season both sides with the kosher salt.
2. Make the marinade. Chop the garlic, ginger, and red chilies, then pound them into a paste using a mortar and pestle. Transfer the paste to a bowl and add the Greek style yogurt, lemon juice, the spices and seasonings, and the orange/red food color powder. Mix with a spoon until evenly combined.
3. Marinate the pork. Add the pork cutlets to the bowl and turn to coat. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for 3-4 hours, or overnight for best flavor.
4. Grill the pork. Heat a nonstick grill pan/griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and brush with canola oil. Use tongs to lift the pork cutlets from the bowl and shake off the excess marinade. Place the pork cutlets in the pan and cook for a few minutes, turning frequently, until slightly charred. Turn the heat down and continue cooking for a few more minutes, turning frequently. Once the pork has cooked through or to your liking, switch off the heat.
5. Rest. Transfer the cutlets to a clean plate and allow to rest for a few minutes.
6. Slice and serve! Slice the grilled pork and place on a serving plate, then pour the resting juices on top. Garnish with chopped coriander and/or mint leaves, and serve immediately with lemon wedges for squeezing, cilantro and mint sauce, sliced red onion and cucumber, and steamed rice if desired!
Full detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cook’s Tips
- Finely mince the garlic, ginger, and chilies before pounding. Or use a mini blender to blend into a smooth paste if you don’t own a mortar and pestle. The goal is to make the aromatics paste be as smooth as possible to prevent too much burning during cooking.
- Don’t touch the marinade or marinated pork directly with your hands. Use tongs or disposable gloves since it can be tricky to get the red/orange food color off your skin.
- Marinate overnight in the fridge for more flavor. While 3-4 hours will give you flavorful Indian grilled pork cutlets, the longer the pork sits in the marinade the more tender and flavorful the meat will be.
- Turn on the exhaust fan or open a window if using a grill pan indoors. Yogurt-based marinades tend to burn a little while cooking, and can be smoky business in small enclosed areas.
- Make sure the heat is not too high. Lower the heat as necessary and if needed while cooking the pork to prevent too much burning/blackening. Scrape any extra burnt bits off the grill pan and discard during cooking if needed.
FAQs
Preheat the grill too medium-high. Brush canola or vegetable oil on the grill grates. Shake off the excess marinade from the pork, then place on the grill. Grill for 8-12 minutes, turning frequently, until the pork is charred on the outside and the center has cooked to your liking. Do not brush with extra marinade as it will smoke too much and the yogurt will be prone to burning on the BBQ grill. Transfer to a plate and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Then slice and serve.
Heat canola oil in a cast-iron or nonstick skillet. Once hot, shake off the excess marinade and place the pork on the pan. Sear for a minute, then turn the pork over and sear the other side for another minute. Lower the heat to medium-low and lightly brush with the reserved marinade. Continue cooking for 6-8 minutes, turning frequently, until the pork is charred on the outside and cooked to your liking. Transfer to a plate and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Then slice and serve.
According to the USDA, the pork should reach an internal temperature of 145°F/63°C in order to be safe to eat. The best way to tell if the pork is done is to use a digital cooking thermometer. Keep in mind that the temperature will rise by about 5°F while resting, so it’s best to take it off the grill once the pork has reached an internal temperature of 140°F/60°C. If you don’t own a meat thermometer, take the pork off the grill when it is firm (but not hard). When you slice into it, it may still be a little pink, but it is cooked through if the meat is tender and pulls off the bone fairly easily.
More Summer Grilling Recipes
- Vietnamese Grilled Pork Steaks
- Tikka Masala Pork Ribs
- Chicken Shish Kebab Rolls
- Spicy Grilled Asian-Cajun Chicken Skewers
- Or browse the entire Grilled and Summer recipe collections.
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PrintGrilled Indian Pork Cutlets
These Grilled Indian Pork Cutlets are easy to make, incredibly juicy, and SO AMAZINGLY flavorful! Pork cutlets are marinated in a tasty Indian-style marinade, then grilled to charred outside and juicy inside perfection! Perfect for summer gatherings!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Inactive Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: Indian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 2 Pork Cutlets, bone-in (about 400 grams / 14 ounces – ½-inch thick pieces) – cleaned and pat-dried (see notes for using other pork cuts)*
- ¾ TSP Kosher Salt, to taste
- 4 TBLS Greek Style Yogurt (or use plain whole milk yogurt)
- 4 Garlic cloves – roughly chopped
- ½ TBLS minced Ginger
- 2–4 Red Chilies (I used Bird’s Eye, but any hot red chilies will work), to taste – finely chopped
- 1 TBLS freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
- ¾ TSP freshly cracked Black Pepper
- 1.75 TSP Garam Masala (store-bought is fine, but homemade garam masala tastes much better)
- 1 TSP ground Cumin
- 1 TSP Coriander Powder
- 1 TSP Turmeric Powder
- 1 TSP ground Cayenne (optional – or use Kashmiri chili powder), to taste
- ½ TSP Orange/Red Food Color Powder (optional – or use 1–2 drops of red or orange liquid food coloring)
- 2 TBLS Canola Oil (or any neutral flavored cooking oil with a high smoke point)
- To Serve (optional): Chopped coriander (cilantro), chopped mint leaves, lemon wedges for squeezing, cilantro and mint sauce, sliced red onion, sliced cucumber, steamed rice
Instructions
- Season the pork: Clean and pat dry the pork cutlets with paper towels. Working with one cutlet at a time, place the cutlet between two large sheets of cling wrap on a cutting board and use a meat mallet to pound into ½-inch thick pieces. Transfer to a large plate and season both sides with the kosher salt. Set aside while you prepare the marinade.
- Marinate the pork: Roughly chop the garlic, mince the ginger, and finely chop the red chilies. Using a mortar and pestle, pound the aromatics into a smooth paste. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the Greek style yogurt, the pounded paste, lemon juice, freshly cracked black pepper, garam masala, ground cumin, coriander powder, turmeric powder, ground cayenne, and orange/red food color powder (if using). Mix with a spoon until evenly combined, then add the pork cutlets to the bowl and turn to coat. (Note: It’s best to use tongs to avoid getting the food color on your fingers). Cover with cling wrap and place in the fridge to marinate for 3-4 hours, or overnight for best flavor.
- Grill the pork: Remove the bowl with the marinated pork from the fridge 40-60 minutes before you plan to cook to take the chill off. Heat a nonstick grill pan/griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and brush with the canola oil. Once hot, use tongs to lift the pork cutlets from the bowl and shake off any excess marinade (reserve the marinade). Place the pork cutlets in the pan and cook for about 3 minutes, turning the cutlets over every 30-45 seconds, until slightly charred. Then turn the heat down to medium-low and lightly brush pork with some of the reserved marinade. Cook for 4-5 minutes more, turning frequently. Use tongs to hold up the cutlets to sear the fatty bone side for 30-45 seconds, or until nicely charred. Once the pork has cooked to your liking or reached an internal temperature of at least 140°F/60°C, switch off the heat and transfer to a clean plate.
- Rest and slice: Allow to rest for 5 minutes so that the juices inside the cutlets can set. Then place on a cutting board and slice off the fatty bone part, then slice the meaty part into ¼ – ½-inch thick slices.
- To Serve: Transfer the pork (including the fatty bone part) to a serving plate and pour any resting juices on top. Garnish with chopped coriander and/or mint leaves, and serve immediately with lemon wedges for squeezing, cilantro and mint sauce, sliced red onion and cucumber, and steamed rice if desired.
Notes
- Pork cut. I used bone-in pork cutlets, which is a loin cut that’s great for grilling, pan-frying, or barbequing. But you can use pork porterhouse steaks or pork chops (bone-in or boneless) instead if you like. Cook time will vary depending on the thickness and size of the pork cut.
- Ground cayenne and red chilies: Adjust amount to taste, or omit if a milder flavor is desired.
- To cook on the grill: Preheat grill too medium-high. Brush canola or vegetable oil on the grill grates. Shake off the excess marinade from the pork, then place on the grill. Grill for 8-12 minutes, turning frequently, until the pork is charred on the outside and the center has cooked to your liking. Do not brush with extra marinade as it will smoke too much and the yogurt will be prone to burning on the BBQ grill. Transfer to a plate and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Then slice and serve.
- To cook in a skillet: Heat canola oil in a cast-iron or nonstick skillet. Once hot, shake off the excess marinade and place the pork on the pan. Sear for a minute, then turn the pork over and sear the other side for another minute. Lower the heat to medium-low and lightly brush with the reserved marinade. Continue cooking for 6-8 minutes, turning frequently, until the pork is charred on the outside and cooked to your liking. Transfer to a plate and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Then slice and serve.
- Gluten-free: This recipe is 100% gluten-free.
- Nutritional information. Nutritional information provided is only for the pork cutlets and not for any optional items for serving with the cutlets.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 a pork cutlet
- Calories: 285
- Sugar: 3.4g
- Sodium: 301.9mg
- Fat: 17.4g
- Saturated Fat: 2.9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10.1g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 7.7g
- Fiber: 1.4g
- Protein: 23.5g
- Cholesterol: 72.3mg
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