6 Secrets to Juicy and Succulent Umami Pan Seared Pork Chops (鮮味香煎豬排)

“What’s for dinner tonight?” is the BIG question that I hear every day!  On a typical day, I’ll be asked this exact same question, for at least three times.  I’ll be lucky if they’re not from the very same person each time!  Yes, believe me, sometimes they’ll ask me “what’s for dinner” over and over again.  I always wonder, is it that they forgot what I said earlier, or do they hope for a different answer the second, or third time around?  Does this happen in your family too?  Or am I the only lucky one out here? 



One thing for sure, is that I can tell you what we’re having for dinner tonight: Umami Pan Seared Pork Chops!  This dish is so easy to prepare and super delicious!  Lately, I've been serving this dish at least once a week, and everyone loves it!  Yes, these pork chops are that good!




These pork chops are golden brown and slightly crispy on the outside, juicy, tender and succulent on the inside.  They are packed with wonderful umami flavors as well.  These pork chops are the ultimate combination of sweet and savory flavors as well as contrast in texture.  There are a few secrets to achieve all these wonderful characteristics and elements on these pork chops. 




Here are the secrets:

1) Instead of using a regular marinading method, I use a combination of brinding and marinading method.  As you can see from the video tutorial above, I added a cup of chicken broth in the brinding/marinading process.  Thus, allows the moisture to penetrate deep into the pork chops and keeping the inside nice and moist. 

2) I used both soy sauce and fish sauce in the marinade to enhance the umami flavors.  If you’re not familiar with fish sauce, just keep in mind, don’t smell the fish sauce on it’s own.  Just close your eyes, pinch your nose and dump it in!  You’ll be happy that you did!

3) I take the pork chops out from the fridge an hour before cooking.  Thus, allows the meat to come closer to the room temperature and the chops will cook more evenly.

4) I pad dry and dust the outside of the pork chops with corn starch.  Thus, ensures a nice searing of the crust and seal in the moisture on the inside.

5) Do not overcook the pork chops!  After all these hard works, you want to make sure they are at the prefer doneness.  A meat thermometer should read 145F degree when inserted into the middle of the chops.  My 1-inch thick chops always done at 7 minutes on medium heat. 

6) Let them rest!  After removing the chops from heat, always let the meat rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting into them.  Thus, ensure the moisture inside the meat to redistribute, and minimized the juices from running out of the meat when you cut.  So, never cut your meat when they are still piping hot!




I hope you enjoy today’s recipe, special tips, and video tutorial!  Stay tuned for more yummy recipes and videos in future post.  Don’t forget to subscribe to my Youtube channel here.  That way, you won’t miss out on any video and you’ll be the first to know when I have a new tutorial published.

Ingredients and Tools used:
Chicken bouillon powder (Click here for more information)
Blackberry preserves (Click here for more information)
Toasted sesame oil (Click here for more information)
White pepper powder  (Click here for more information)
Garlic powder (Click here for more information)
Light soy sauce (Click here for more information)
Fish sauce (Click here for more information)
ShaoXing wine (Click here for more information)
Corn starch (Click here for more information)
Vegetable oil (Click here for more information)
Cast Iron Pan (Click here for more information)

Mango Crêpe Cakes 芒果法式薄餅千層蛋糕 – To Celebrate Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is just a couple of weeks away.  Any plans on how to celebrate the mothers in your life?  How about preparing a gorgeous and scrumptious cake for her?  This Mango Crêpe Cakes (芒果法式薄餅千層蛋糕) will sure put a smile on anyone’s face.



So far, I’m totally enjoying this wonderful mango season by preparing all kinds of mango treats.  From Mango Pudding, Mango Mochi Roll, Mango Panna Cotta, to Mango Shaved Ice, etc, all refreshing and delicious.  But this Mango Crêpe Cakes surely is the most special and spectacular among all! 




In this recipe, I used the Ataulfo mangoes.  The Ataulfo Mangos are also known as Manila Mangos or Champagne Mangos.  The flesh from the Ataulfo mango is very tender and smooth.  It’s very refreshing, sweet and have a pleasant floral tone, which is perfect for this dessert.  On the other hand, Tommy Atkins mangoes (which are more commonly found in the U.S.) are overall bigger in size, and the skin color is a combination of red and green even when fully ripen.  Also, the flesh is more fiber-ous and firmer.  Therefore, please only use Ataulfo mangoes for this recipe.   



There are 22 layers of mango crêpes in this cake, each crêpe alternate with a layer of mango cream.  And there’s a layer of thinly sliced fresh mango in every 5 layers of crêpe.  It might sound complicated, but actually quite easy to prepare.  Check out the video tutorial above and you’ll agree with me!  However, I must warn you... since there are quite a few steps involved, the prep time for this cake is rather time consuming.  This is partly due to the cooking and layering of the crêpes.  But fear not!  The steps are nothing too difficult at all.



My recommendation to you is to prepare the crêpes a day ahead and assemble the cake on the next day.  Sounds like a labor of love?  It surely is, but so does the job of being a mother, isn’t it?!  Therefore, I think Mom deserves a gorgeous cake like this!  And I can assures you, this cake tastes even better than it looks!



So, head to the kitchen and make this cake!  Whether it’s for Grandmas, Moms, Mother-in-Laws, or Mothers-to-be, they all deserve a little of our time, as well as this delicious cake!  Life is too short and we should always remember to celebrate.  I just want to take this opportunity to thank my Grandmas, my Mom, and my Mother-in law for everything that they’ve done for me, my husband, and my children.  I’m truly blessed and grateful to have them in my life!   




Ingredients and Tools used:

Crepe Pan (click here for more information)
Crepe Spreader (click here for more information)
Crepe Maker (click here for more information)
Ninja Blender (click here for more information)
Horizon Organic Heavy Whipping Cream (Click here for more information)
OXO Egg Turner (Click here for more information)
Organic Vanilla Extract (Click here for more information)
Mango Extract (See similar product here)
Mascarpone Cheese (Click here for more information)
Kerrygold Butter (Click here for more information)
 

Matcha Panna Cotta (抹茶意式奶凍)

 
 
 
 
Are you a Matcha tea lover?  I drink tea everyday and definitely enjoy a cup of matcha every now and then.  Turned out, I did shared quite a few recipes that were made with matcha.  Check them out at the end of this post if you’re interest.       
 

 
 
Today’s recipe is truly a culinary advanture of “East meets West”.  I used a traditional Asian ingredient and incorporated it into a traditional Italian dessert.  Let me present to you, Matcha Panna Cotta (抹茶意式奶凍)!



Matcha (Japanese Green Tea) refers to finely milled or fine powdered green tea. The Japanese tea ceremony centers on the preparation, serving, and drinking of matcha.  Nowadays, matcha is also used to flavor foods such as mochi, soba noodles and a variety of Japanese confectionery.  It has a deep, grassy and slightly bitter taste.  It’s extremely earthy and could be an acquired taste if you haven’t tried it before.   If you like this Japanese Green Tea, then you’re going to love this dessert.   



Be sure to check out the list of ingredients and tools used in this post.  Most of the items are available in Asian supermarkets.  If you don’t have Asian markets near where you live, fortunately, these items are widely available online as well!



As you can see from my video tutorial above, as well as the pictures on this post, I’ve prepared this Matcha Panna Cotta in different containers.  You can serve them in small tea cups, small dessert glasses, or ramekins (then turn them upside down onto serving plates as shown in picture above).


 
This is definitely a decadent recipe.  The texture is smooth and silky.  It’s not overly sweet but packed with deep and earthy wonderful matcha aroma.  Did you notice that I topped the panna cotta with a small piece of edible gold leaf!?
 

 
 
 
Ingredients and tools used:
Matcha Powder (Click here for more information)
Edible Gold Leaf (Click here for more information)
Bamboo Whisk (Click here for more information)
Chawan Tea Bowl (Click here for similar product)
Small Bamboo Spoon (Click here to see similar product)
Shoji Paper Window Blinds backdrop (Click here to see product information)
Ceramic Rice Bowls (click here to see similar product)
Bamboo Placemats (Click here for more information)
 
 
Other Matcha Recipes:                                                        
                                           











Matcha Ice Cream (抹茶雪糕)

                                                         
 

Matcha Shortbread Cookies (抹茶酥餅)

Iced Matcha (冰鎮抹茶)



Coconut Shaved Ice with Matcha (Green Tea) Mini Mochi

 

 
Matcha (Japanese Green Tea) Tiramisu

 

 
Matcha (Japanese Green Tea) Mousse Cheesecake with Pistachio Crust

 

 
Homemade Matcha (Green Tea) Pocky 自家製抹茶百力滋

Classic Vanilla Swiss Roll Cake (雲呢拿瑞士卷蛋糕)

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, I’m sure you know I’ve created my fair share of Swiss Roll Cakes.  So far, I’ve shared the recipes of Strawberry and Cream, Decorated Coffee, Yule Log, and Sakura, etc.  Today, we’re going back to basic.  Check out this Classic Vanilla Swiss Roll Cake (雲呢拿瑞士卷蛋糕) and the tutorial video above.




All along, I thought my family is chocoholic!  The darker, the better!  However, since the day that I’ve made this Vanilla Swiss Roll, they’ve been asking me to make this cake, over and over again!  Seems like they’ve forgotten the chocolate option for this cake, which used to be their favorite! 




There’s something about this basic vanilla cake that we all love.  I guess it’s just the simplicity that wins us over.  It’s made out of just a few basic ingredients that you probably have already in your pantry.  And you can simply taste each one of them, such as the sweet and slightly floral vanilla aroma, the rich and decadent egg flavor, and the silky and smooth freshly whipped cream, etc. 




If you haven’t try any of my Swiss Roll recipe just yet, I’m sure this is the time to do so.  It’s basically a foolproof Swiss Roll Cake recipe that assures you the ease of rolling up your cake nice and easy without any cracks.  The cake texture is light and silky smooth.  Each bite melts in your mouth in heavenly goodness!  I wish I can share this cake with you by passing a slice through the monitor.      




Give this recipe a try, I’m sure it’ll become your family’s favorite as well.  If you haven’t done so, please subscribe to my Youtube channel here.  That way, you won’t miss out on any video and you’ll be the first to know when I have a new tutorial published.  Thank you for stopping by today. Please stay tuned for more fun and easy recipe.  If you have any recipe request, simply leave a comment below and I’ll try by best to post them soon!      





Tools and ingredient used:

10X15 Baking pan (Click here for more information)

Stand Mixer (Click here for more information)

Butter (Click here for more information)

Cooling Racks (Click here for more information)

Vanilla Bean Paste (Click here for more information)

Organic Heavy Cream (Click here for more information)

Plastic Wrap (Click here for more information)

April’s Fool Recipe – Apple Juice Jello in Disguise as A Glass of Beer

Do you know someone who loves Happy Hours or into a nice tall glass of icy beer?  Who doesn’t, right?  I guess most guys prefer a glass of beer over cocktails or red wine.  Here’s a good prank you can play this April’s Fool: Apple Juice Jello in disguise as a glass of beer!  If you haven’t done so, check out the video tutorial above.  It’s super easy to prepare.
 


My Little Boy loves to play pranks!  Mostly, they are pretty much harmless and give us some good laughs.  On the other hand,  I prefer jokes and other funny stuffs, but not quite into pranks.  Guess my boy influenced me somehow with his little pranks!   



I have to say, these little Apple Jello glasses look quite realistic as beer!  Since there are only 2 ingredients in this recipe, please make sure to use good quality apple juice that you would also enjoy drinking.  That will ensure these little treats taste delicious.  I definitely love these refreshing apple juice jello a lot, especially when my kids can enjoy them too.  Wish you all a fun and memorable April’s Fool Day!  Stay cool…even though if someone plays a prank on you! 
 





Ingredients and Tools used:

Mini 5 oz Mugs with Handles (Click here for more informatiion)
Unflavored Gelatin Powder (Click here for more informatiion)
Martinelli Apple Juice (Click here for more informatiion)
4 Cups Measuring Cup (Click here for more informatiion)
Egg Beater (Click here for more informatiion)




April’s Fool Recipe – Apple Juice Jello in Disguise as A Glass of Beer:

4 cups apple juice
4 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin

In a microwave safe bowl, place 1/2 cup apple juice and sprinkle gelatin powder on top. Give it a quick stir and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Then, heat the mixture in the microwave for 30 seconds and stir well. Return to the microwave and heat for another 30 seconds or until the gelatin powder is completely melted.

Place the remaining 3 ½ cups of apple juice in a large measuring cup with a beaker. Pour in the gelatin mixture and continue to whisk until foamy.

Then, evenly divided into small beer mugs or serving glasses. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or until set. Enjoy!