Pork Sorpotel

This is a Goan dish which is usually made on festive occassions like Easter or Christmas. It is accompanied by vegetable or peas pulao or plain steamed white rice. The gravy has this rich, red texture with succulent pieces of pork. Not too heavy, but just right for the occassion. This is my mother-in-laws' recipe. I do need to add here that I tried this out this Easter. The gravy was not red enough, therefore I didn't take any photographs.

PORK SORPOTEL

Ingredients : -
Pork - 1 kg 500 gms
Jeera/Cumin seeds (whole) - 1 tsp
Garlic - 4 whole pods or 1 tbsp readymade ginger - garlic paste
Ginger - 2 inches
Haldi / Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Dalchini /Cinnamon sticks - 3 (one inch)
Laung /Cloves - 8
Cardomom (elaichi) - 3
Badi Elaichi - 1
Peppercorn balls - 5
Kashmiri red chillies (non-spicy) for the colour - 14 (whole) deseeded partly
Vinegar - 6 capfuls
Onions - 500 gms or 5 big (sliced)
Green chillies - 2 (chopped) - Optional
Khus khus (poppy seeds) - 2 tsp
Tej patta / Bay leaf - 2
Tamarind - 1/2 lime ball size
Salt - to taste

Method : -
1. Clean and boil entire pork in a glass of water . Meanwhile grind masala / spices in vinegar.
2. Cut pork meat and liver into bite size cubes.
3. Fry meat separately. Then fry liver.
4. Fry sliced onions, green chillies and tej patta.
5. Mix well with ground masala / spices.
6. Add enough water for desired gravy and boil. When it begins boiling, add tamarind water or add a little more vinegar.

Pork Vindaloo

This is a permanent dish in Angl0-Indian homes on any occassion, be it a festival or any feel good moments. Since I came across this recipe while browsing through my recipe book and considering that Easter is next month, I will post this recipe right away. This recipe is the way, my maternal grandmother, mom, aunt and I make it at our individual homes. So it is like a hand me down recipe :)

PORK VINDALOO

Ingredients :-

Boneless Pork (with little fat) - 1 kg
Vinegar - 4 cooking spoonsfuls
Turmeric (haldi) - 2 tsps (may add less if desired)
Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp (may add more if desired)
Cumin seeds (jeera) powder - 2 tsps
Coriander seeds (dhania) powder - 2 tsps
Ginger - garlic paste - 2 tsps (may add more if desired)
Salt - to taste
Black mustard (rye) sees - a tsp

Method :-

1. Cut the pork into bite size pieces, some with fat attached. Put the pieces into a bowl and add all the masalas including the salt. Pour in the vinegar and mix well. Keep aside for 1/2 an hour.
2. Put oil in a pan and throw in a few mustard seeds. When they stop spluttering, put in the marinated pork. Pour in some more vinegar (to your taste)
3. Mix well, pour sufficient water to cook and cover. When done, remove from fire and serve hot with Yellow Rice / Vegetable Pulao/ White Pilao.

Note: This must be made the day before and kept in the fridge if the weather is too hot. Take it out and warm it well the next day. The more it is heated, it tastes even better (if it lasts out so long) :) : )

Shammi Kabab

What can one say about Shammi Kabab... it can eaten sandwiched between 2 slices of bread or dinner rolls with your choice of filling or as a side - dish etc.

This is the first time I tried this out myself. I have indulged at my friend's place. Her mother used to make the most fabulous Shammi Kabab. I had jotted it down then and have tried it out after so many years. Hubby's opinion - it was tasty.

SHAMMI KABAB

Ingredients :-

Channa dal – 1 cup (grind coarsely - dry grinding)
Beef Mince – 500 g
Red chillies powder – 3 ½ tsp
Turmeric (haldi) – ¼ tsp
Cumin (jeera) – ½ tsp
Everest Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
Cinnamon - 1
Ginger – garlic paste – 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Preparation : -

-- Pressure cook for 20 mins excluding the chana dal. The dry up all the water and grind (without water)
-- Add 1 egg to bind after grinding and mix well like making chapatti dough. Mash with bottom of hand while doing so.

Stuffing: -

Onions – 2 large (chopped)
Green chillies – 4
Dhania leaves – 1 small bunch chopped fine
Pudina leaves – 1 bunch chopped fine
Lime – cut in ½

Method :-

Mix all well . Take a lime size ball of keema, make a well in the centre, put in stuffing.

Then fry in a frying pan with little oil.

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Meat Curry

It' s Sunday and the day called for some wholesome Beef Curry for Sunday lunch. So I headed to the market, bought 500 grams of beef and sauntered home to cook it. The curry has a three fold purpose which I discovered when the day has ended with dinner, which I will elaborate a little later. So here goes for all beef lovers…

BEEF CURRY
(Multipurpose )

Cooking time - about 30 mins.

Ingredients : -

Beef - 500 grams (chopped into bite size pieces)
Cardamom (elaichi) – 3
Cinnamon (dalchini) – 1 inch piece ( broken into 2)
Big Cardamom (badi elaichi) – 1
Cloves (laung) – 5
Bay leaf (tej patta) – 1 (broken into 2)
Peppercorns – 3
Ginger – 1 inch (chopped into 3 pieces)
Salt to taste
Cooking oil – 1 cooking spoon
Turmeric (haldi) - ¼ teaspoon
Red chilli powder (Kashimiri chilli /partially spicy) – 2 teaspoon
Coriander powder (dhania) - 2 teaspoon
Cumin powder (jeera) - 2 ½ teaspoon
Garam masala powder – ¼ teaspoon

Pepper powder – ¼ teaspoon
Ginger – garlic paste – 2 teaspoon
Onions – 2 (large – chopped finely)
Tomatoes – 1 (large / 2 medium – chopped finely)
Potatoes – 2 small (chopped into half)

Preparation :-
1) Clean the meat, wash it thoroughly and drain out the water.
2) Parboil the meat with whole spices (garam masala), salt to taste and chopped ginger in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles on slow fire.
3) Heat oil in a cooking vessel. Add chopped onions and fry well till soft and brown.
4) Add chopped tomatoes and fry in the oil till soft, on slow fire. Add water a little at a time to form a thick paste.
5) Now mix in all the powdered spices along the garam masala powder, pepper powder, ginger – garlic paste and fry well in the oil. When the oil starts separating from the mixture, add a little water at a time and keep stirring and mixing.

NB: for White/steamed rice - liquid gravy – add sufficient water to the masalas and boil well, add parboiled meat and potatoes and cook completely. Check for salt.

For Yellow rice/peas pulao / chapattis / roti / paratha - thick gravy – add a lttle water, enough for the meat to completely cook. Check for salt. Lessen water for desired thickness.

Leftover meat –
1) Take out the meat pieces and fry as it is or along with fried sliced onions, whole red chillies and peppercorns. Wow!! a side dish to accompany a vegetable dish if you feel like non-veg with it.

2) If there is white rice - Take a frying pan, heat a little oil, fry sliced onions. Put in the white rice, fry a little in the oil, add meat pieces, mix well. Add the thick part of the gravy and mix well. Voila !! An impromptu meat pulao.

Last of all, you must tell me how this went at your home. I would love to hear.