Friday, October 22, 2010

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! 





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.




25 comments:

  1. I never knew there were so many curry recipes. That is amazing. As for your pork, it looks absolutely delicious, especially with all those spices.

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  2. Wat a great looking dish, may i'll try with chicken..fingerlicking dish..
    Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes

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  3. Oh My Goodness!! That pork looks heavenly I can't wait to make this dish. Your photo's of the dish are really great, could you send me a dish right now...I love stopping by to see you thank you!
    Miz Helen

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  4. it looks so juicy, so yummy! good that you had the cook book. i love cookbooks, they are a great source to discover new ideas to apply. looking forward to your coming recipes :)

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  5. Never tried with pork..looks too good...

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  6. Oh my goodness, that looks so good! I'm not a huge fan of pork chops but I would definitely eat them like this. And no, you can never have too many cookbooks!! :o)

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  7. Hi Lisa,
    Yes, there are many spicy curry dishes in this book! Imagine how many more out there!

    Hi Priya,
    Thank you. A good idea to try with chicken!

    Hi Miz Helen,
    I would love to send you a bowl of this if I could! Thank you for stopping by. Have a nice weekend!

    Hi Melynda,
    Thank you! Have a lovely weekend!

    Hi Mimosa Cafe,
    Yes, collecting cookbooks is sort of "pampering myself"! More recipes to come!

    Hi Brenda,
    Ha! Ha! Looks like we are a bunch of "cookbook addicts"! Have a nice weekend! Er..buying any this weekend?? .. ^..^

    Hi Danelle,
    Thank you! Have a lovely weekend.

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  8. Hi reciperoll,
    Thank you! Give this a try! Have a nice weekend!

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  9. oooh i need some right now so i can eat it with my rice!

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  10. curry looks super delicious ...i love the word vindaloo n want try it soon ,is there any veggie version which u can suggest ??hope u don't mind ,i really want to try

    Satya
    http://www.superyummyrecipes.com

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  11. I can taste how tender and delicious that pork is from your pictures. Thanks for sharing.

    Plan B

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  12. I do that with books too! I'm glad your recipe turned out good! Look absolutely delicious!

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  13. If this recipe is anything to go by, this sounds like a great cookbook - and, no, you can never have too many.
    Sue

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  14. I want this book!! I obsessively buy cookbooks. And yes, it's an exhausting process. I start at Amazon and open a ton of cookbooks and then compare them, weed out the bad ones, finally decide on one, and then check half.com to see if it's cheaper. haha!

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  15. J'ignorais qu'il y avait autant de curry.
    Le tien semble délicieux.
    je note ta recette.
    See soon.

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  16. The book sounds like a keeper. I love this saucy looking pork dish!

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  17. The ingredients in this dish sound delicious and exotic! I seem to be cooking with chili peppers a lot lately so this sounds wonderful. Looks like you found a good cookbook!

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  18. It's exciting buying a new cookbook, isn't it? And I know what you mean by it's mentally exhausting, all the consideration and reading reviews! Your curry looks delicious! From the pictures I thought there was coconut milk in the curry at first.

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  19. I always like a new curry recipe and this one is a champion - thanks!

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  20. Hi Satya,
    I could not find the veggie version for this. Perhaps you could substitute the meat for the vegetarian mock meat which is made from wheat flour, I think that you could get this at Chinese speciality stores. Enjoy!

    Hi Mr. Pineapple man,
    Come on over!

    Hi Chef Bee,
    Thank you! Have a lovely week!

    Hi Reeni,
    I'm glad I'm not the only one! Have a nice day!

    Hi C&C,
    I totally agree with you, there is no such thing as too many cookbooks! Have a lovely day!

    Hi Elsa,
    X'mas is just two months away! Start dropping some hints about this book! ^..^ I do that too.. comparing prices with the local bookstores online and go for the cheapest!

    Hi Nadji,
    Thank you. Have a nice day!

    Hi Angie,
    This book definitely seems like a keeper. Can't wait to try out some of the recipes!

    Hi Savoring Time in The Kitchen,
    I don't mind having chilies everyday! Have a nice week!

    Hi KY,
    Thanks, seems that buying a cookbook is really an adventure! ^..^

    Hi doggybloggy,
    Thank you for stopping by! Glad to know that you love curry too! Hope to see you again, have a lovely week!

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  21. I do love curries! (I love shopping for cookbooks too- and I love pictures in them!) This one looks delicious- love to see more of them from your new book!

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  22. the book is a good buy because this dish looks super delicious! bring for potluck next time!

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  23. WOW!!! looks so...delicious, a must try, definitely!! If bringing this dish for potluck, don't forget to call me!! Wondering if you have the recipe for Chicken Varuval.......

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