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Cumin-crusted Grilled Pork Chops Over Green Salsa

Grilled pork chops seasoned with cumin, served over a tomatillo and jalapeno green salsa.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Cumin and lime match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,216 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Cumin-crusted Grilled Pork Chops Over Green Salsa

serves 6
Timeabout 5 minutes per side

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Heat grill to medium‑high or heat broiler.

  2. Season pork chops with ½ teaspoon of the salt, cumin and pepper to taste; set aside.

Make the salsa

  1. Combine tomatillos, jalapeno, onion, garlic, lime juice, syrup, remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and pepper to taste in the bowl of a food processor.

  2. Pulse 8 to 10 times until mixture is coarsely chopped.

  3. Transfer salsa to a microwave‑proof bowl; microwave on high 3 minutes.

  4. Stir in the cilantro and set aside.

Cook and serve

  1. Meanwhile, cook the pork chops until no longer pink inside, turning once, about 5 minutes per side.

  2. Divide salsa among 6 plates; top with pork chops and bean salad.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

376Calories
30 gProtein
15 gFat
32 gCarbs

Counts 10 of 12 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 10 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Pork100g cooked242
Maple Syrup1 tbsp (20ml)52
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Limejuice of 1 lime (44ml)11
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Cilantro1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Pancakenot in our table0
Syrupnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Cumin + limetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,216 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  2. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Cumin + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,082 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Cumin + jalapenotop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together688 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  5. Jalapeno + limetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,035 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Pork chops
Provide the main protein, cooked through until no longer pink inside.
Tomatillos
Supply tart, acidic body that forms the base of the green salsa.
Jalapeno
Adds heat and fresh, pungent flavor to the salsa.
Onion
Adds savory sweetness and aromatic depth to the salsa.
Maple syrup
Adds sweetness that balances the acidity of the tomatillos and lime.

The step that matters

Cook the pork chops until no longer pink inside. Pork cooked too briefly can be unsafe, while overcooking dries out the lean meat. Turning once helps the chops cook evenly and keeps them juicy.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, cumin, pepper, jalapeno, onion, garlic, lime):

  1. Corianderfits better
  2. Oreganofits better
  3. Turmericfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pork, cumin, pepper, jalapeno, onion, garlic, lime. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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