Cabbage, peas and carrot sabzi (Saute)

The recipe I share today is a simple vegetable saute that can accompany a daal or curry and can be eaten with rice or roti. I usually pair this with rice, plain red curry and tuna cutlets. It is a simple meal for weekdays, when there is no time or need for an elaborate dish. The preparation is simple too, you can skip peas if not available or you do not want to crowd your dish, and follow the same recipe for cabbage and carrot saute. Only in this case I'd suggest you cut the carrots into one and half inch julienne or sticks, so that the dish looks better. You can also skip the carrots and make a cabbage and peas saute which is another variation. I would not recommend carrots and peas, as I have never tried that combination and am not sure if it works.

Whatever combination you decide, it will be a hassle free, simple and tasty fare.

Ingredients:

1. Cabbage : 1 bowl (finely sliced)
2. Green peas : 1/2 bowl (shelled)
3. Carrots - 1/2 bowl (cut in small cubes or cut in )
4. Onion - 1 small sized, chopped
5. Tomatoes - 1 no (medium sized, chopped)
6. Green chilies - 1 to 2 no 
7. Curry leaves - a few
8. Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
9. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
10. Oil - as required
11. Salt to taste

Method:

1. In a pan heat oil, add mustard seeds. Once they've stopped spluttering , add the onion, and turmeric and saute till the onions soften. 
2. Add the tomatoes and the the green chilies and salt. Cook till the tomatoes soften. 
3. Add the carrots, mix well and cover with a lid. Let it cook till the carrots are half done. 
4. Now add the green peas and cabbage, give it a nice stir. Sprinkle water if needed, but be careful not to pour water into the pan, as cabbage also releases water. Keep sprinkling water as needed so the vegetable doesn't dry out.
5. Let it stay on the medium to low flame for about seven to ten minutes. Check if the vegetables are done,  I prefer cabbage to be crunchy, you could cook the cabbage a bit more if that's how you prefer it. 
6. Well the dish is ready to be served with hot chappatis.

Notes:

• I use frozen peas, they cook faster than fresh peas, so cooking time will vary depending on what type of peas you are going to use. If you are using fresh peas, you should add them with the carrots and cook longer than the cabbage.

Kerala Style Pork Fry

Last week I shared Pandi curry recipe - a pork curry from Coorg. And this week I'm back with another Pork recipe that is neither from Mangalore nor from Goa. :-) This pork fry is from Kerala, the land of spices, and rightly so the pork curry bursts with all the flavours of the commonly used spices.  Usually we don't add coconut to pork dishes in Mangalore or Goa, but this recipe uses coconut and the outcome is delicious. I got this recipe from my sister's recipe book. It is one of my favourite pass times when I visit her, I take all her recipe books and keep going through them. And I always find some new recipe that I didn't see before or try before. This is one such recipe, that was buried deep and has been rescued from obscurity :-)

Ingredients:

Pork cubes - 1 kg, washed and drained

Marinade:

1. Ginger - 1/2 inch piece, finely chopped or grated
2. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
3. Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp
4. Salt - as per taste

Roast and dry grind the below ingredients:

1. Fennel seeds - 1/2 tbsp
2. Cardamom - 6 nos
3. Cinnamon - 2 inch sticks
4. Cloves - 6 nos
5. Perppercorn - 1 tsp
6. Onion - 1 large, roughly chopped
7. Garlic - 6 fat cloves, sliced
8. Ginger - 1 inch piece, sliced
9. Coconut - 1 cup, dessicated

Ingredients for the tempering and curry:

1. Curry leaves - 20 - 25 leaves
2. Onion - 3 medium, sliced
3. Tomatoes - 3 medium, sliced
4. Green chilli - 4 nos, sliced
5. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
6. Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
7. Coriander powder - 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Cut, wash and drain the pork cubes. Marinate with the ingredients mentioned under marinade and set aside.
2. Heat a small pan, add oil and add ingredients mentioned under "Roast and dry grind" in the order mentioned. Keep stirring occasionally to ensure the contents don't burn. Once the coconut has turned a deep brown, the pan can be taken off the stove and kept aside for cooling.
3. Once cooled, the roasted ingredients are to be ground to a coarse powder without using any water. You can use the pulse feature in your blender, so that you get a coarse mixture.
4.  Note: This is not a ground paste or masala. Do not add water.
5. Heat a pan, add oil, add the curry leaves, sliced onions and 1/2 tsp salt. Fry the onions till they are well browned.
6. Add all the spice powders, mix well and now add the tomatoes. Add 1/4 cup water, bring it to a boil, lower the flame, put the lid on the pan and let it simmer till the tomatoes are soft and well cooked.
7. To this add the marinated pork, and green chillies, and the coarse mixture, mix well and bring it to a good boil, then add a cup of hot water. 
8. Lower the flame to medium on the stove and cook till done, the  cooking time can vary depending on the cut of the meat and it's age. So use your discretion. usually it takes between 20 to 30 minutes for pork to cook well.
9. Adjust seasoning and consistency and switch off the flame and it's ready to be served.

Note:

Pork preparations always taste better after they are rested for a few hours or even a day. So plan to serve this after a few hours of its preparation.

Pandi curry - Pork curry from Coorg

This recipe is a lovely pork curry from the mountainous misty landscape of Coorg, located in Karnataka. It is a scenic locale, lush with tea and coffee plantations and forests, and picturesque settlements, adding it's rustic charm to Coorg. And for all it's beauty it is not surprising that Coorg is often referred to as the Scotland of India.

I have to thank Netra - who hails from Coorg, who I met at a party and in the midst of our conversation about food, she mentioned that she likes spicy pork. I was quite surprised to hear that, as most Hindu Indians do not eat pork or beef. She gave me a quick lesson on the culture and cuisine of Coorg that really piqued my interest. I did google and read about Coorg and the amazing food that is unique to it. One of the first things I tried was the Pandi curry. I scoured online and found a few blogs that had this recipe. Honestly I can't remember which blog I picked it from, cause I noted it in my book, and that's what I have been using to cook this dish ever since.

Pandi curry has a dark brown colour and a different flavour, not the ones I'm used to as a Mangalorean or Goan cook. Almost all pork dishes that I cook are fiery red and hot and Pandi curry is welcome change to the eyes and the palate.

Ingredients:

1. Pork - 1 kg 
2. Onion (big) - 1 no, cubed
3. Garlic - 10 to 12 cloves
4. Ginger - 1 inch piece
5. Green chillies - 4 to 5
6. Curry leaves - 10- 15
7. Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
8. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
9. Tamarind - a gooseberry sized ball, soaked in warm water
10. Salt and oil - as needed

Dry roast and grind to a coarse powder the below mentioned ingredients:

1. Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
2. Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
3. Cloves - 6 nos
4. Peppercorn - 1 tsp
5. Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
6. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
7. Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp
8. Curry leaves - 10 -15 nos

Method:

1. Wash and cut the pork in one and half inch cubes. Apply red chilly powder, turmeric powder, salt and set aside for an hour.
2. Heat very little oil in a pan, add the onions, garlic, ginger and green chilies. Fry well and then add the meat. Use little oil, specially if the pork you are using is fatty. 
3. Mix well and let it simmer on medium heat for five minutes.
4. Now add the ground spice mix and tamarind water and mix well. Let it cook on slow flame till the pork is cooked. 
5. You can add a cup of hot water if the you want some pouring gravy. But otherwise the meat releases a lot of fat and water and can be cooked on its own too. 
6. Check for taste and consistency and switch off the flame.

Alternative Method if you are using fatty pork.

1. Wash and cut the pork in one and half inch cubes. Apply red chilly powder, turmeric powder, salt and set aside for an hour.
2. In a pan, add the onions, garlic, ginger, green chillies and the marinated pork. No need to add oil or water. Mix all the ingredients well and put the pan on the stove.
3. Bring to a boil and then lower the flame and cook for about five minutes. Follow steps 4, 5 and 6 from above to complete the dish.

Notes:
A special kind of vinegar is used for this recipe from Coorg, called Kachampulli, which I have never used. It is a sour fruity vinegar, which is dark purple in colour, adds not only to the flavour but also the dark colour of the dish. Since I don't have this on hand, I use regular cane vinegar for this recipe.

You can try other Pork recipes from my blog by clicking on them:

1. Pork Bafath
2. East Indian Pork Vindaloo
3. Goan Pork Sorpotel
4. Pork Chops - oriental style
5. Pork Solantulem
6. Pork Adobo - from the Philippines
7. Pork Roast from Goa