Goan Pork with Hot Spices

Today, I'm posting the recipe for Goan Pork with Hot Spices which I served with Aromatic Indian Rice with Peas and a vegetable curry, Cauliflower, Pea and Potates Curry, recipes which can be found at my previous post. This dish is popular in Goa, which is situated on the west coast of India. Goa is influenced by three religions, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. So beef and pork cuisines are quite common in this part of India.

This dish is tasty and really good eaten with the Aromatic Indian Rice. It is not overly spicy and has the sweet aroma of the cinnamon. I think that replacing the pork with beef should be great too.

This recipe is taken from "Curries 500" by Mridula Baljekar, which is my current obsession for Indian food! 

Much as I like this cookbook, I found that she has a totally different approach in writing out the instructions. Unlike my other cookbook by Raghaven Iyer which is more precise in letting us know at the beginning of the recipe on when to prepare the spices that are either needed to be milled to fine powder or pounded coarsely, and keep that aside until needed, Mridula Baljekar has a different approach. You would find that the instructions for grinding the spices needed to a fine powder comes somewhere in the middle of the cooking instructions, as you can see from the recipe below. So careful reading of the instructions is needed to prepare all the necessary before you start cooking. 

For this recipe, my advice is to prepare step no 2 and no 5 first before you start cooking, and keep them aside until needed. 

Goan Pork with Hot Spices
(adapted from "Curry 500" by Mridula Baljekar)
Serves 4
60ml / 4 tbsp vegetable oil
15ml / 1 tbsp grated fresh root ginger
15ml / 1 tbsp crushed garlic
2.5cm / 1 in piece cinnamon stick, broken up
2-4 dried red chillies, chopped or torn
4 cloves
10ml / 2 tsp cumin seeds
10 black peppercorns
675gm /1-1/2lb cubed leg of pork, crackling and fat removed
5ml / 1 tsp ground turmeric
200ml / 7fl oz/scant 1 cup warm water
25ml / 1-1/2 tbsp tomato puree (paste)
2.5ml / 1/2 tsp chilli powder (optional)
1 large onion, finely sliced
5ml  / 1 tsp salt
5ml / 1 tsp sugar
10ml / 2 tsp cider vinegar

1. Heat 30ml/2 tbsp of the oil in a wok, karahi or large pan, and add the ginger and garlic. Fry for 30 seconds.
2. Grind the next five ingredients to a fine powder, using a spice or coffee grinder. Add the spice mix to the pan and fry for a further 30 seconds, stirring.  (I pan fry in a dry pan over low heat all the 5 ingredients until aromatic and crisp, let cool on a plate, then mill to a fine powder, it is easier to mill if spices are crisp and brittle)
3. Add the pork and turmeric to the pan and increase the heat slightly. Fry for about 5-6 minutes or until the meat starts to release its juices, stirring regularly.
4. Add the water, tomato puree and chilli powder; if using, to the pan and bring to the boil. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer gently for 35-40 minutes. (You may add a little water at a time, as it will evaporate during cooking)
5. Heat the remaining oil and fry the onion for 8-9 minutes until browned, stirring regularly.
6. Add the fried onion to the pork along with the salt, sugar and vinegar. Stir, cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until the pork is tender. Remove from the heat and serve.

Pork Curry with Potatoes

Do you have one of those days that when you buy a certain ingredient with something in mind, and totally use it for something else at the spur of the moment?  It always happens to me. This is one of those times.  I bought a piece of pork belly for a Chinese dish from the morning market.  That very same afternoon, the urge for curry and potatoes with steaming hot white rice is just too strong to resist! So that's how that piece of pork belly which was intended for a Chinese stew dish ended up in a curry dish! 

This is a simple curry dish that I have always cooked in my home.  It is tasty and really good eaten with plain white rice. The gravy is slightly thick, if you like a thinner gravy, just add a little more water. I love lots of potatoes in the curry, when the taste of the curry goes into the potatoes after the braising, they are really yummy!

I'm sharing with these lovely blogs :

Cookbook Sundays at Brenda's Canadian Kitchen

Potluck Sunday at Mommy's Kitchen

Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Pork Curry with Potatoes
600gm pork belly (cut to bite-sized cubes)
4 medium potatoes (peeled and cut to cubes)

To marinate pork :
5 tbsp meat curry powder
1/2 tsp tumeric powder
1 tsp chili powder (optional)
1 sprig curry leaves
1-1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup water

 3-4 tbsp oil
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 pc 3" cinnamon stick
5 green cardamon pods
2 star anise
4 cloves
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 medium tomato (chopped)
salt to taste
some water

Method :

1. Marinate pork with curry powder, tumeric powder, chili powder, curry leaves, salt and water, mix until pork is coated with spices, keep covered and keep aside for 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil. Saute ginger garlic paste over low heat until fragrant. Add in cinnamon stick, cardamon pods, star anise and cloves, stir until fragrant. 
3. Add in marinated pork and stir for about 5 minutes, constantly stirring over medium heat, add some oil if appears dry. Add in chopped tomatoes, onions and salt, stir for a further 2 minutes. Add about 1/2 cup water, stir to combine, cover and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid burning. Curry may dry out, add about 1/4 cup warm water each time it appears dry. 
4. Simmer until pork is tender, taste and add salt if necessary. Add in potatoes, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally and add a little water each time it appears dry. Simmer for a further 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Dish out and enjoy!

Indian Fish Curry

I have not cooked this dish in quite a while.  The usage of the fenugreek spice makes this curry dish tastes like an authentic Indian curry. My late mom used to say that fenugreek is the one that gives the true taste of Indian curry. The best fish to use for this dish is the spanish mackerel, but for today I'm using the black pomfret since I can't seem to find any mackerel from the market. Try to get some really fresh mackerel for this curry dish, it is really tasty. Sometimes I use big fish head chunks and really yummy when you eat and suck on the bones! Other suitable fish would be the red snapper, golden snapper and threadfin.

Are you familiar with the spice fenugreek?  Perhaps it is best described by this excerpt  taken from "660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer"

"Fenugreek (methi): Prized in India for both its cloverlike leaf and dark yellowish-brown, triangular, stone-hard seeds - that are very bitter when roasted or toasted - I regard the aroma and taste of fenugreek as "perfumed bitterness".  The seed, considered medicinal (some were found in Tutankhamen's tomb), provides commercial curry powders with that distinctive aroma.  Whenever I demonstrate recipes that incorporate fenugreek seed, students say. "Ooh, smells like curry."

Many sauces in southern India use toasted and oil-roasted seeds (and their ground versions, as in sambhar masala) to create bitter balance.  The eastern regions put the bitterness to work by stir-frying the seeds (they get more bitter when browned in oil).  Cooks along the northern regions cherish the grass-green leaves.  Because they have a short shelf life, the young leaves are dried and sold in packages labeled kasoori methi."

Even though the fenugreek may taste unpleasant when you happen to bite into one, I do not really mind, but kind of like it, as it will soften when boils and the taste of the curry gravy has been steeped into it. But if you do not like it, then just discard it when you find one in your mouth. Use this spice sparingly as instructed by any recipe that calls for it, too much of this can be just the opposite, very unpleasant on your tastebuds!

This curry is delicious eaten with plain white rice, or with our local roti canai, also known as roti paratha or the paratha bread.  If you do not want vegetables in your fish curry, just omit the ladies fingers and brinjals.  If you would like to give this a try, here's the recipe, the way my mom taught us.

Onions, ginger, garlic, curry leaves, tomato, fenugreek seeds, fish curry powder paste (you may use ordinary curry powder, if fish curry powder is not available)

Tamarind paste (on the left)

Ladies fingers (okra) and brinjals

Ladies fingers and tomatoes. Cut and discard both ends of ladies fingers.

Brinjals.  Cut and soak in salted water to prevent browning.

Black pomfret, halved.

Enjoy!

Indian Fish Curry
Ingredients :
3 to 4 pieces mackerel or 1 whole black pomfret, halved (or any other fish)
50gm ginger, sliced thinly and cut to julienne strips
5 cloves garlic, sliced
1 sprig curry leaves
1 onion, cut to six or eight sections
1-1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
6 tbsp fish curry powder, mix with enough water to form a thick paste
1 tsp chilli powder (optional, if used, mix with the curry powder above)
1 tsp tamarind paste, dissolved with 2-1/2 cups of water
5 ladies fingers (okra)
1 brinjal
1 tomato, quartered
cooking oil
salt to taste

Method :

1. Heat about 5 tbsps oil. Saute ginger and garlic till light brown and fragrant over medium heat.
2. Add in curry leaves and onions, stir for about 1 minute. Add the fenugreek seeds, stir for about 10-15 seconds until fragrant (you can smell the aroma of the fenugreek). Add the curry paste and continue to stir for about 4-5 minues over medium-low heat till fragrant and dry.  If it gets too dry, one or two tablespoons of oil may be added.
3. Pour in the tamarind and water mixture.  Stir till curry is evenly combined.  Cover and when curry starts to boil, add the ladies fingers, brinjals and salt to taste. Cover and simmer for about 5 to 8 minutes, stirring in between, until vegetables are cooked and just tender. If curry gets too thick, some water may be added.
4. Add the tomatoes and the fish. Cover and simmer, turning fish once until fish is done. Dish out and enjoy!

Chile-Smothered Pork with Vinegar (Pork Vindaloo)

I have a new cookbook! Yes, one can never have enough of cookbooks! 660 Curries, that's the title, with outstanding reviews from amazon's customers. This is the first recipe that I tried and it is delicious!

When I first saw this book, I was hesitating to buy it. I do not know who Raghavan Iyer is, never heard of him before, but then again, I do not know of any Indian Food chef, come to think of it, except for Madhur Jaffrey! And worse of all, practically no pictures or photos, only about less than a dozen photos out of the 660 curries! I want pictures, everybody want pictures, the bigger and glossier the better! Right?  Are you with me in this? Anyway, on the front cover, it did indicate that he is an IACP Award-Winning Teacher of The Year. And Madhur Jaffrey did commented at the back of the book that "This Book is Nothing Short of A Treasure Chest", does this mean that this is a fantastic book? But then again, a remark like that from someone respectable in the cooking world should really mean something, right? Browsed through this book and put it down, walked around, browsed it again, walked around, and for my own piece of mind, I bought it! Phew! Wow, buying a book can be very mentally exhausting! Have you experience this before?

As soon as I reached home, I checked this book out from the web, and it is some sort of relief when I saw very good reviews at amazon.  That's a consolation! But I guess, the best is to try it yourself.  Rather pleased with the first recipe I picked.  Next, I will be trying out a chicken recipe. More about this book, on the next recipe that I intend to try! 

Sharing this with Recipe Swap Thursday at Prairie Story

Chile-Smothered Pork with Vinegar (Pork Vindaloo Version 3) 

(adapted from "660 curries" by Raghavan Iyer)

(There are 3 versions of pork vindaloo, this is version no. 3, the chef's favourite)

1/2 cup cider vinegar or malt vinegar

1 tablespoons cumin seeds

8 lengthwise slices fresh ginger (each 2 inches long, 1 inch wide, and 1/2 inch thick)

8 medium-sized cloves garlic

8 dried red Thai or cayenne chillies, stem removed

1 cinnamon stick (3 inches long)

1 pound boneless pork loin chops, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems for garnishing

1. Pour the vinegar into a  blender jar, and then add the cumin seeds, ginger, garlic, chiles and cinnamon stick.  Puree, scraping the inside of the jar as needed, to form a pulpy, gritty paste that smells potent-hot.
2. Place the pork over in a bowl and pour the paste over it.  Sprinkle with the salt and turmeric, and stir it all together.  Refrigerate, covered, for at least 30 minutes or as long as overnight, to allow the flavors to mingle.
3. Heat the oil in a medium-size skillet over medium high heat. Add the pork, marinade and all, and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until it is browned, 10 to 12 minutes. (The meat will stew initially; then once the liquid evaporates, it will sear and brown).
4. Pour in 1/2 cup water and scrape the bottom of the skillet to deglaze it.  Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pork is tender, about 15 minutes.
5. Stir in the cilantro, and serve.

Mustard Prawns the Copycat Version / Garden

This will be my first entry to The Copycat Club's debut!. Have you heard of The Copycat Club? If not, then it is about time you do. The Copycat Club is a club that features copycat recipes from your favourite restaurant, favourite fast-food, famous bakeries, just about anything that can be eaten, as long as it is a copycat! The person behind this is Tia from Buttercream Barbie. For more details about this club and how to join in the fun please do visit Tia's fantastic blog.   My first entry will be Mustard Prawns from the Taj Group of Hotels.

Taj Group of Hotels is famous, right? This recipe is taken from the book, "The Best of Indian Cooking : A Selection of Recipes From The Taj Group of Hotels", edited by John Mitchell.  This book was published in the year 1994, oh gosh, I was just a sweet young twenty something at that time! Boy, time really flies in a blink of an eye! Well, I bought it maybe not in 1994, but certainly not far from that year! And all this while, I have only tried maybe two recipes from this book.

The recipes from this book, according to John Mitchell, was edited with some changes from the original ones, with approval from the chefs, to make the recipes practical for use in the domestic kitchen.  So this is the copycat versions from the originals! Perfect! And to think that I do not have any copycat recipe on hand, it has been sitting on my shelf for years!

This is a very tasty dish. I have not been to any of the Taj Group of Hotels, obviously have not tried any of their food, but this is delicious with plain white rice. (My hubby had second helpings!). This is very simple and easy, just get everything cut and ready before you start cooking. Give it a try. For an authentic Indian style of serving, serve it on a banana leaf, on a plate. 

I'm linking this to Cookbook Sundays at Brenda's Canadian Kitchen and Potluck Sunday at Mommy's Kitchen. 


Kaduku Eral (Mustard Prawns)
(adapted from "The Best of Indian Cooking - A Selection of Recipes From The Taj Group of Hotels" edited by John Mitchell)
600gm prawns
1 large onion
2 tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp mustard seeds
8 curry leaves
1 heaped tbsp chilli powder
salt to taste
chopped coriander leaves

Shell and de-vein the prawns, then wash under running water, pat dry and set aside.  Chop finely the onion, tomatoes and garlic.  Heat the oil in a pan until very hot, then add the mustard seeds and curry leaves.  When they start to crackle,  immediately add the onion and garlic and saute until softened.  Next add the tomato and cook for 4-5 minutes, then add the chilli powder and stir well.  Lower the heat and add the prawns.  Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently, then season with salt to taste.  To serve : transfer to a large plate and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

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A little post on my garden...... continuation from last post

Ever seen this flower?  Can you name the plant of this flower?

Cannot guess the name of this plant with this pretty flower?  Not many people do!  These pretty flower belongs to the Curry Leaf Plant!  Are you surprised? The flowers has a light jasmine-like fragrance, it will turn to small round red berry-like fruits, which will eventually changed to black.  According to Wikipedia, the fruits can be eaten but the seeds inside are highly poisonous.  Would you dare to try the fruits? 

Curry leaves are very aromatic and extremely important in curry dishes.  It is used worldwide in various cuisine. Over in our multi-racial Malaysia here, it is used by all races, even the  Chinese restaurants use the leaves for extra aroma in many delicious fried dishes, not necessarily spicy.   But, not many of us have seen or even aware that the ever popular curry leaves has flowers just like any other plant. So the next time when you pick a bunch of these leaves from the store, think about the pretty flower! Hope you have enjoyed reading this little post!

Nyonya Curry Chicken (Penang)

Curry chicken originated in the Punjab, in the north weastern Indian and eastern Pakistan and was introduced to the rest of the world throughout history. Almost every household in Malaysia, Singapore and at least the rest of the Asian region, curry chicken is a familiar and favourite dish. Everyone has their own family version of cooking this delicious dish. It is great with rice and bread. This version is taken from the book "Nyonya Flavours - A Complete Guide to Penang Straits Chinese Cuisine". There is something about curry chicken that keeps making you go back for more or at least the crave for it will find us (me, at least!) busy in the kitchen, at least once or twice a month, cooking this delicious dish, always extra, because it really tastes great the next day! My own version does not use coconut milk, and for a change, decide for go for a "curry chicken adventure", trying other recipes besides my own.

This recipe has a thick gravy and although it tastes nice, this is not at the top of my list.

My "curry chicken adventure" will continue with postings on recipes that I have tried. Try this out, this could be your favourite.

Nyonya Curry Chicken (Kari Kay)
(adapted from "Nyonya Flavours - A Complete Guide to Penang Straits Chinese Cuisine)
Ingredients :
4-5 tbsp oil
1 star anise
2 cloves
1 cinnamon stick

Spice paste (ground)
30 gm (15) dried chillies, soaked
200 gm (20) shallots
15 gm (3 cloves) garlic
20 gm belacan, toasted
20 gm (2cm) tumeric
20 gm (3 tbsp) coriander seeds
2 gm (1 tsp) cumin
2 gm (1 tsp) fennel

1.5kg meaty chicken pieces
300 gm potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
400 ml thin coconut milk *
100 ml thick coconut milk *

Seasoning
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

* Both extracted from 1 grated coconut

Method :

1. Heat oil over medium low flame and saute star anise, cloves and cinnamon stick. Add in spice paste and stir-fry well. Add 2 to 3 tbsp thick coconut milk (if it is too dry) and fry over low heat until fragrant and oil separates.
2. Add chicken and fry for a minute. Add potatoes and pour in thin coconut milk. Simmer until chicken is tender and potatoes are cooked.
3. Lastly, add the thick coconut milk and season to taste. Continue to cook until gravy is slightly thick. Serve with boiled white rice, Nasi Kunyit (Tumeric Rice) or Roti Jala.

Sambal Petai with Eggs

Egg Sambal has always been a favourite among our family, both kids and adults. Everyone loves eggs, especially cooked in our favourite sambal tumis petai. This dish really goes well with our very own Malaysian nasi lemak or just eat it with steamed white rice. We love to make this into sandwiches with the leftover sambal for breakfast, with a cup of freshly brewed black coffee. Hmm... For this dish, I use quail eggs. As for petai, if you do not like petai then just omit it. We love petai and luckily for me, my kids love petai too! Petai is known as "stinky beans"! Petai contains three natural sugars, fructose, glucose and sucrose. It is high in potassium and low in salt, making it perfect to beat high blood pressure. This unique fruit can prevent a substantial number of illnesses. For more info on this wonderful fruit, click here.

Sambal Petai with Eggs
Ingredients :
50gm dried chillies
300gm shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 small piece belacan
1 candlenut
1 tsp tamarind pulp (mixed with 1/4 cup water and strain for juice)
100gm petai (slit to half lengthwise, rinsed and drain)
20 quail eggs (hardboiled and remove shell)
10 cherry tomatoes
1 big onion (sliced)
2 pcs kaffir lime leaves
salt to taste
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil

Method :

1. Using a scissors, snip dried chillies to pieces, remove seeds and soak in hot boiling water until soften. Drain.
2. Blend softened dried chillies, shallots, garlic, belacan and candlenuts to a paste.
3. Heat cooking oil. Fry grounded paste and kaffir lime leaves until aromatic and oil surfaces. Add in sliced big onion and stir for about 2 minutes. Add in petai and stir for about 2 more minutes.
   
4. Add in tamarind juice, salt and sugar to taste. Stir in the eggs and simmer for about 5 minutes over low heat, add more tamarind juice or water if it gets too dry.
   
5. Add in cherry tomatoes and stir for a further 2 minutes.
6. Serve with hot steamed rice. Enjoy!
   

I'm submitting this to "Culinary Smackdowm Battle Chile October 2010" at At Home With Rebecka

Sambal Belimbing Chicken

Sambal Belimbing Chicken
Here's the ingredients and recipe :

Daun limau purut (kaffir lime leaves), taken from my own plant.
This leaf is a must in most of the nyonya cooking. It adds its own
aromatic fragrance in most nyonya dishes.



Belimbing fruit, cut lengthwise.



Ingredients for cooking Sambal Belimbing Chicken


Sambal Belimbing Chicken

Here's the recipe :
1 chicken (cut to pieces, skin and fats removed)
50-60gm dry chilli (soaked in hot boiling water for about 30 mins, drained)
400 gm small onions
3 pcs candlenuts
30 gm belacan (shrimp paste)
200 gm belimbing (whole, discard tips of both ends)
3-4 pcs daun limau purut (kaffir lime leaves)
3/4 cup cooking oil
salt

1. Blend soaked dry chilli, onions, candlenuts and belacan to a fine paste.
2. Heat oil. Fry pounded ingredients over medium heat till fragrant and oil surfaces (this may take about 15-20 mins). Add in daun limau purut.
3. Stir for a minute and add in chicken. Stir till chicken is well coated.
4. Add in belimbing and salt to taste. Stir well, cover and cook over medium flame, stirring every few minutes.
5. Simmer until chicken is cooked.
6. Serve with plain white rice. Yummy!

(You can reduce the amount of belimbing, and gradually increase a little at a time to suit your taste, if you do not like it too sour).