Pork cooked in beer (Traditional Fare)

About 30 years ago, before the “arrival” of caterers, a cook would be booked the day a function is fixed & every place had a few very prominent ones under whom young men would apprentice. The kind of food or variety these cooks churned out would put the present day “TRAINED CHEFS” to shame. These cooks themselves  apprenticed under butlers, who manned the kitchens of the English/Portugese homes. Here’s one such recipe with a little modification.

INGREDIENTS:

Pork: 1kg, boneless & skinless 

Beer: 750 ml

Pepper powder: 1 tbsp

Ginger-garlic paste: 2 tsps

Vinegar: 2 tbsps

Sweet soya sauce: 1 tbsp (soya sauce with sugar can be used instead)

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Keep the pork as a chunk, score it with a knife & marinate with all the ingredients except beer.

In a heavy bottomed pan place the meat piece & let it brown in its own fat.(takes about half an hour)

Drain out excess fat & pour beer to cover meat, cook till done & gravy dries up. Turn over occasionally.

Cool pork & slice.

Serve cold or hot with mustard sauce.

  

Feijoada/Beans Curry (Traditional Fare)

Whereever the Portugese had settled they introduced their beans curry. This is the Goan version.

INGREDIENTS:

Red/black/white kidney beans: 250 g

Pork: 200 g cubed

Goan pork sausage: 100 g cut small

Tomatoes: 3

Onions: 3 big ones

Garlic: 8 

Ginger: 1” piece

Recheido masala: 2 tsps

Vinegar: 1 tbsp

Oil: 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Soak beans overnight. Pressure cook with one teaspoon oil, one tablespoon vinegar, one teaspoon Recheido masala& salt for 25 minutes. (beans must cook till really soft.)

Make a paste of ginger & garlic.

Heat oil, sauté onions, add tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste & fry well.

Add the meats, & 1 cup water. Cook till meat is done.

Last add the cooked beans, remaining Recheido masala.

Simmer for 10 minutes more. (Adjust salt last, cos the Goan sausages are salty.) 

Serve with Pav/bread.

Pork Thoran (Traditional Fare)

                                                

INGREDIENTS:

Pork:  500 g cubed

Raw Banana: 2 cubed

Coconut:  1 Cup

Green Chilli:  6

Shallots:  100 g

Garlic:  6 pods

Cumin:   ¼ tsp

Turmeric powder:  ½ tsp

Pepper powder:   1 tsp

Mustard seeds:  ½ tsp

Dry red chilli:  3

Curry leaves   a few

Oil: 1tsp

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Marinate pork with quarter teaspoon turmeric powder and salt for one hour.

Make a coarse paste of coconut, green chilli, garlic, half the shallots, cumin and turmeric powder. Keep aside.

Cook pork with one cup (200 ML) of hot water. When almost done, put in the cubed banana and cook till tender.

In another pan, heat one tsp of oil, splutter mustard seeds, add red chilli cut into two, shallots & curry leaves.

Now add masala paste and fry till fragrant.

Put in the cooked pork, dry it well, and sprinkle pepper powder.

Serve with Rice & Rasam. 

Pork Vindaloo (Traditional fare)

This is an elaborate vindaloo recipe, probably, how it should be really made. Make it for a party & watch your guests clean the dish for you!

INGREDIENTS:

Pork: 2 kgs (cut into cubes)

Onion: 6

Garlic: 4 cloves

Ginger: 2” piece

Red chilli powder: 4 tbsps

Turmeric powder: 1 tsp

Mustard seeds: 2 tsps

Fenugreek: ¼ tsp

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Cinnamon: 1”piece

Star anise:2

Mint: 4 sprigs

Jaggery: 2 to 3 tbsps

Tamarind paste: 1 ½ tbsps

Vinegar: 50 ml

Salt to taste

METHOD:

In a large pan, put in pork, salt & turmeric powder. Stir till all the water oozes out & the pork fries in its own fat. (This will take about an hour.)

Remove pork & pour off all the fat except 6 tbsps.

Skewer the onions & roast over an open flame till well burnt. Peel the skin & grind with garlic, ginger, chilli powder, mustard seeds, cumin seeds & fenugreek using vinegar.

Into the same pan that the pork was fried, add ground paste, cinnamon & star anise. Saute till fat clears on the sides of the pan.

Now, put in fried pork pieces. Stir well & pour 4 cups (about 800 ml) of hot water & salt.

Cook till pork is tender. Last, add chopped mint, tamarind & jaggery.

This preparation tastes better if made a day in advance.

Serve with rice/rotis.

Pork Vindaloo (Quick Fix)

This recipe is the easiest & simplest way of making the much indulged-in  vindaloo.

                                          

INGREDIENTS:

Pork: 1 kg

Onions: 2 (chopped)

Garlic: 2 cloves (crushed)

Chilli powder: 2 tbsps

Mustard sauce: 1 tsp or 1 tsp mustard ( ground)

Cumin powder: 1 tsp

Garam masala powder: ½ tsp

Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp

Vinegar: 2 tbsps

Tamarind paste: 1 tsp

Sugar: 1 tsp

Salt: to taste

METHOD:

Cut pork into fairly big pieces.

In a pressure cooker, mix pork with all the ingredients & 1 ½ cups(300ml) water.

Pressure cook for 10 to 15 minutes.

Cool for a while before opening cooker.

This is a thick gravy preparation.