Marinade creates tender pork chops

If you often find pork chops to be on the dry and bland side, this recipe could change your mind about them. Here, the lean meat is infused and made extra tender with a boldly flavorful Asian marinade. And because the chops are cut extra thin — almost as thin as minute steaks — they are not as chewy as thick ones, and the marinade is able to permeate.

With a mouthwatering mixture of soy sauce, fresh orange juice, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and sriracha, the marinade does double duty as a flavor agent for the chops and as a sauce for the accompanying vegetable.

The reserved marinade added at the end ensures a lovely sauce for the bok choy. It all adds up to an easy, lip-smackingly delicious dish that puts pork chops in a new light.

Asian-Marinated Pork Chops With Bok Choy

¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce ⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided use 1½ tablespoons packed dark brown sugar 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar 1 tablespoon peeled, finely grated fresh ginger root 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil 2 teaspoons sriracha 8 thin-cut bone-in pork chops, ¼ inch thick; about 1¾ pounds total (see note) 1 bunch green onions 1¼ pounds baby bok choy (about 5), quartered lengthwise, or 1 large bok choy, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces Salt, as needed

Whisk together the soy sauce, orange juice, 2 tablespoons of the oil, the brown sugar, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, toasted sesame oil and sriracha in a medium bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Reserve ¼ cup; pour the rest into a quart-size zip-top bag. Add the pork chops, then seal, pressing out as much air as possible. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.

Trim the roots off the green onions, then cut about 3-inch lengths of the white and lightgreen parts. Halve the 3-inch pieces lengthwise if they are thick. Thinly slice the dark green part crosswise and reserve for a garnish.

Remove the pork chops from the marinade and discard what’s left in the bag.

Heat half of the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add half the pork chops to the pan; reduce the heat to medium and cook until the meat is caramelized and just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining oil and chops. A dark brown coating (fond) will form in the pan as you cook the meat.

Once the chops are cooked and are resting on the plate, add the bok choy to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes, stirring until it begins to soften slightly and the browned bits in the pan begin to dissolve. Add a tablespoon or two of water to the pan if it seems very dry. Add the 3-inch green onion pieces and cook for 1 minute, stirring.

Add the reserved ¼ cup of unused marinade to the pan, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding water by the tablespoon as needed, until the bok choy is tender.

Lightly season the pork chops and bok choy with salt. Serve warm, garnished with the onion tops.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: If necessary, ask your butcher to cut the pork chops to the size needed here.

Nutrition information: Each serving (using half the marinade) contains approximately 410 calories, 47 g protein, 20 g fat, 9 g carbohydrate (6 g sugar), 120 mg cholesterol, 460 mg sodium and 2 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 1.