Amy + Jacky’s Story

Hey there, so glad you found us!! 😀

We’re Amy + Jacky, the husband & wife team behind Pressure Cook Recipes. Born & partly raised in “the food heaven” Hong Kong, we love to cook & eat!

As recipe developers and food photographers, we have worked directly with Instant Pot company, pressure cooker manufacturers, and 35+ restaurants.

We needed a dedicated space! So we created a test kitchen + studio where we’ve been spending hours researching, testing, and tasting our pressure cooker recipes.

In our test kitchen, we have developed some of the most popular Instant Pot recipes on the internet including the Cheesecake #17, Umami Pot Roast, “Zero-Minute” Whole Chicken…etc

Your recipes are not only Jimmy Fallon’s favorite but also mine.  They are easy to follow, flavorful, and enticing with beautiful photos. 

Your recipes have brought joy to many. My wife and I are a big fan of yours. 

– Robert J. Wang, Inventor & Founder of Instant Pot

Our step-by-step recipes have served millions of home cooks and chefs around the world including Jimmy Fallon and Robert J. Wang (inventor & founder of Instant Pot).

Because of you, we are extremely grateful & blessed to be able to do what we love!

Our goal is to give You the confidence and knowledge to cook with an Instant Pot or pressure cooker one step at a time.

If you haven’t subscribed to our free weekly newsletter, make sure to subscribe now. Link: Subscribe for Free Recipes & Tips

I struggled quite a bit whether we should share our story here. It’s a food blog after all! But, if our story can encourage just one person, it’s worth it. 🙂

Little Amy

I was a happy & confident girl.

I still remember the time when I was 6, our teacher asked if anyone would volunteer to perform in our school’s annual celebration.

I had no idea what to perform, but my little mind was like “me, Me, ME!”

So, I jumped out of my chair and shot my hand high in the air.

Then, I realized, I was the only one. 😛

The Great Migration

When I was 8, my family decided to leave everything behind – my grandparents, friends, teachers – and moved to Canada.

I was torn.

More so, I couldn’t speak English. The few phrases I knew were “Hello! My name is Amy,” or “I am a girl.”

Thankfully, I had some of the most amazing teachers and friends who got me through the tough first year.

My Invisible Disability

Then, at the age of 9, I was diagnosed with genetic hearing loss and tinnitus.

Tinnitus is a condition with constant noise or ringing in the ears. So far, no cure exists.

The noise I have is a non-stop high pitched ringing in both ears, as loud as a normal conversation.

If you want to experience it, this is an audio sample.

WARNING: Please turn down your volume!

Imagine living every day with this high pitch sound in both ears 24/7 non-stop. Not pleasant for sure.

Not only did I have trouble understanding the teacher, but I also couldn’t communicate with others, I had trouble hearing, plus tinnitus.

My life never had a moment of silence since.

As a little girl, it was really tough.

I was reluctant to wear hearing aids because I wanted to fit in. Many classes went by as I sat there trying to read the teacher’s lips.

There were nights that I would cry myself to sleep asking why.

Why me?

But the next morning, I would wake up and fight with a big smile. 🙂

Yes, this invisible disability is a part of who I am, but it’s not all that I am.

Life is never meant to be easy. 

“Every test in our life makes us bitter or better, every problem comes to break us or make us. The choice is ours whether we become Victim or Victor.” ~Anonymous

My Invisible Disability
My invisible disability is a gift.
It taught me how to listen with my heart;
How to see the sorrows of men;
How to speak words of humility;
How to smile in trials;
How to count the blessings;
And taught me how to love.
My invisible disability is my strength.
~Amy

“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny…” ~C.S. Lewis

Little Jacky

Jacky is CRAZY about delicious food.

When he was 1, his nanny needed to hide EVERY time she eats.

One time, when she was eating an orange behind doors, he went crying and pounding on the door, because he could smell it & he wanted to eat it too!!?

When he was 3, he was already Grandma’s little sous chef, helping out in the kitchen (sort of).

More so, he was a fanboy for this famous cooking show in Hong Kong – 《方太與你》 (Mrs Fong and You).

He watched it with Grandma every day from Monday to Friday for 9 straight years!

Iconic Family Restaurant

He clearly got these foodie genes from his restaurateur family.

His grandfather owned a popular historic seafood restaurant in Hong Kong, in the iconic “Green House” in Wan Chai, back in the 70s.

Growing up, he didn’t eat mac n cheese or grilled cheese.

He already tasted fresh live seafood like Mantis shrimp, Geoduck, and Sea cucumber. He also ate crazy Chinese dishes like Snake soup or Roast squab!

Fresh Off the Boat

When he turned 12, his family sent him away to study in a small town with only 2000 residents.

He was all by himself. He didn’t know anyone, didn’t speak the language, didn’t understand the customs. It was his first time experiencing the western culture.

He was alone, away from family and home, when he was only 12 years of age.

Luckily, his home-stay family was loving.

He enjoyed watching his home-stay mama cook, and often asked her why she did this, and how she made that. She even allowed him to cook by himself in the kitchen.

Massive Turning Point

2006 was a crazy year.

One night, when I was studying for finals, I got a call around midnight from Jacky.

He said “I just got hit by a pick-up truck and my car is total lost. I’m feeling ok. Paramedics told me to stay still, because my internal organs may collapse any minute now. Just calling to let you know.”

This could have been THE END of his life.

It was a wake-up call. Life is unpredictable. You never know what will happen the next minute.

Since this day, every day is a bonus, in fact, everyday is a gift.

We try hard to live every day to the fullest, chase our dreams, and find meaning in all we do.

Most important of all, make a positive impact in others’ lives when we still can.

Happily Ever After

We were high school sweethearts. He held my hand for 9 years and he never wanted to let go. It’s a blessing to walk through different life stages together as we grow.

Our dream came true the moment we stepped into the church and exchanged our vows in front of our loved ones.

Food Media Business

We then started to chase our next dream. We created a food marketing and consulting business.

We had so much fun working with chefs and restaurateurs from around the world. It was a dream come true!!! We partnered with restaurants from 20 – 1000 seats (Yes, one thousand seats!), from small neighborhood restaurants to big name brands and chain stores.

Our work ranged from restaurant brand design, taste test new menu items, menu design, product development & launch, promotion campaigns, public relations, as well as publishing a local print food magazine.

We immediately fell in love with food photography, food writing, the food people, and of course the food and cooking.

Family Matters

At this point, we were working 7 days a week. Sometimes, we were still on the phone at 1 am with our clients.

One day in March 2015, my close family member has been diagnosed with cancer. On the same night, Jacky’s close family member also told us there’s a high chance that they have cancer too.

Shocked. Denial. Fear.

We were devastated, completely devastated.

It was a second wake-up call. Life is unpredictable.

We regretted that we didn’t spend enough time with our loved ones. In fact, we didn’t even have time for ourselves!

We took some time off from everything to take care of our families, as well as to reorganize our lives.

We asked ourselves “What kind of life do we want to live?”, “What kind of impact do we want to make in this world before we leave?”

Though our business was growing, we really loved what we do, and our income was decent, we knew it was time to let go.

Why Pressure Cook Recipes?

The best things in life are the people we love, the places we’ve been, and the memories we’ve made along the way. – Anonymous

Our hope is to spend more time and create more memories with our loved ones through delicious food.

Food carries so much more than things that keep us alive each day.

We know it’s not easy to cook day in day out, especially for those with busy lifestyles & young kids.

However, cooking is definitely not a chore, though it may seem like one.

Each dish we make is a token of love.

Your loved ones (even kids at a young age) will remember the food you’ve made for them.

Plus, the smiles you see after they’ve tasted your food just melt your heart. This is what life is all about.

Pressure Cook Recipes is not just a recipe food blog. This is our little place to share our lives and memories with you.

Our Instant Pot & pressure cookers have been a lifesaver for us in many ways.

Through Pressure Cook Recipes, we hope to help & encourage you to do the same: cook delicious tested recipes for your loved ones and create great memories along the way.

Since we’ve started Pressure Cook Recipes, many readers have shared how our dishes reminded them of their family or childhood, how their family enjoyed their food, and how the food comforted them. Many of your stories & anecdotes touch our hearts and make us extremely happy.

Thank you for letting us bring a little joy to your lives!

Sharing Happiness One Dish at a Time ♥

We’re so thankful for our family and friends who have been a big part of our lives. Now we invite you to be a part of our new journey.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to follow our journey.

Sharing Happiness One Dish at a Time ♥

Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Youtube for our latest updates.