JAMAICAN CURRIED GOAT

Curried Goat! A Jamaican classic. I will cook my version today. For the ones that like goat. And talking about Jamaica, of course, it will always be tasty. Let’s start cooking.

Ingredients:

½ chopped onion

2 chopped green onions

2 cloves of chopped garlic

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

2 tablespoons Jamaican Curry Powder

Some salt to taste

Some freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon thyme

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided in two

2 pounds goat meat

2 potatoes

1 big carrot

Some water

Some cooked rice to serve

First thing we will prepare the vegetables for the marinade. Next, put the onions, the garlic, the ginger, the curry powder, half the oil and the thyme in a blender. Work on it and add a little water if is needed to get it blended. The next step will be to prepare the meat. Cut it in pieces if the butcher has not done it yet. Pieces with bones are perfect for this curry. Then put the meat in a plastic container and mix it with the marinade from the blender. Let it marinate for some hours in the fridge. If you can, it is better marinating overnight.

Once the meat is ready, go on with the vegetables. This time, the carrots and the potatoes. Peel them and cut them in pieces not too big.

Now we will start cooking in our wok. Heat the rest of the oil in the wok, just to grease it lightly. Try to remove the marinade from the goat but keep it. When the oil is hot, put the goat without the marinade in it and seal the meat. Cook it for a couple of minutes. Then add the potatoes and the carrots. Add the marinade and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then set the fire to simmer. Cook it for… long. One, two hours. It depends on the meat. But make sure it is simmering at low temperature.

When the meat is done, the curry is done. You can serve it with some cooked rice. A wonderful Jamaican curry. Enjoy!

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CURRIED CHICKEN SALAD

This is a delicious salad. With an Indian touch. I love it. Let’s make it.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon chopped shallots

1 tablespoon chopped celery

1 tablespoon blenched almonds

1 tablespoon raisins

1 tablespoon chopped apple

1 clove of garlic, chopped

1 chicken breast (boiled) or 1 10 oz can chunk chicken breast

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 or 2 tablespoons mayonnaise sauce

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Some salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

As always, we will prepare the ingredients first. Cut the vegetables in little pieces. If you want to boil the chicken, clean it first removing all the fat you can. Then just boil it in water till the chicken is cooked. But if you use the canned food, remove the water completely. Of course, it is better to use fresh chicken, but the option of canned chicken can be helpuf when you are in a hurry.

Then mix everything except the mayonnaise sauce, the lemon juice and the salt and pepper. Once it is mixed, add the mayonnaise sauce little by little. You can always add more if you want, but if you add all of it at the beginning you may have a salad with a lot of mayonnaise. We do not want that. The last thing is adding salt and pepper to your taste. Mix well and let it cool in the fridge for a couple of hours at least.

A really good salad. A perfect side to serve with a main dish. And as it needs to be refrigerated for some time, you can make in advance and you will have it ready before hand. I think I’ll prepare it right now. Enjoy!

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TEMPEH CURRY

A different curry for today. A vegetarian curry with Tempeh. Perfect for vegetarians and meat eaters. Why not! There are many kinds in the market. A very good option. Let’s get started!

Ingredients:

½ green pepper

½ red onion

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

1 sweet potato

1 packet of tempeh

Some vegetable oil

2 oz pure creamed coconut

1 teaspoon soy sauce

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon dried basil

Some freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Some salt, if needed

First, prepare the vegetables. Cut the pepper and the onion in little pieces. Chop the garlic and the ginger. Cut the sweet potato in pieces too.

The next thing is to do the same with the tempeh. Cube it carefully so that it does not break too much.

Next, put some vegetable oil in a pan and heat it. When it is hot, sauté the vegetables: sweet potatoes, onions and green pepper. Add the garlic and the ginger two minutes later.

In the meantime, prepare the coconut. Take the piece of pure creamed coconut and grate it with the help of a knife. Then add the grated coconut to a cup of hot water. Mix till you get the coconut melted with the hot water.

Coming back to the pan, it is the moment to add the tempeh. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the coconut. Add the soy sauce, the spices and the herbs now. Lower the fire and let it cook for ten minutes. See if you need to add more salt.

Then you will have your dish ready. Serve it with some rice. Basmati is good. Enjoy!

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CHICKEN CURRY PIZZA

We will cook a different pizza today. Pizza made from scratch but with a chicken curry flavor. Italian and Indian together. Let’s cook it!

Ingredients:

Dough,

1 cup and 1 tablespoon water
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
½ tablespoon salt
3 ¼ cups flour
½ tablespoon yeast

For the curry,

1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
A little piece of star aniseed
½ ground cinnamon
3 cloves
½ teaspoon cardamom seeds
½ teaspoon ground garlic
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ chopped onion
1 chopped shallot
½ chopped green pepper
½ chopped red pepper
½ chopped squash
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 chopped tomato
Some extra virgin olive oil
½ chopped chicken breast
Some salt to taste
Some freshly ground pepper to taste
½ cup coconut milk
Some shredded cheese

First we will make the pizza base. I use a bread machine to make my pizza but, of course, you can knead your dough by hand. Using my bread machine, I put the ingredients in this order: water, oil, sugar, salt, flour and yeast. I select the program just to knead the dough and turn the bread machine on. The machine will do its job and then it will let the dough grow. If you want to make your dough by hand, you can do it placing the flour on a table making a well with the water inside. Add the rest of the ingredients and make the dough. And then you will have to knead the dough properly. Knead and knead till the dough is elastic. Let it rise in a bowl covered by a wet cloth.
Once we have kneaded the dough, either by hand or with a machine, we will shape the pizza with a rolling pin. Remember that a floured work surface is always important. With that amount of ingredients you can make two pizzas.
Using a pizza stone will make your pizza crispier because these stones distribute the heat evenly. Nonetheless you will have to preheat the oven earlier and maybe use a pizza peel to transfer your pizza to and from the oven. Anyway, if your oven is powerful, your pizza will be good.
In the meantime, we will have prepared our curry. To do that, we will start preparing the spices. In a mortar we will grind the coriander seeds, the cumin seeds, the black peppercorns, the star aniseed, the cinnamon, the cloves, the cardamom seeds and the fennel seeds. Add to that the ground garlic and the turmeric. Reserve the spices.
Heat some olive oil in a wok and when it is hot, add the green and red pepper, the onion and the shallot. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the garlic, the ginger, the squash and the chicken. Then we will add the spices. Mix well and keep on cooking. Then we will add the coconut milk. Add some salt and black pepper to taste. Let it cook for some minutes and reserve.
Then we will go to the oven. Preheat it to 450ºF. With the help of a rolling pin, shape the dough into a pizza on a greased tray. Then we will paint the pizza with a little olive oil. Then spread the chopped tomato on top of the though. Add the curry to the pizza. Do this so that the curry is well spread in all the pizza. Add the cheese evenly.
And your pizza is almost ready. You will only have to put it in your oven. Let it cook for about 15 minutes. Let it cool for a minute and serve. A good and original Chicken Curry Pizza. Enjoy!

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DRIED SHRIMP CURRY

A different curry for today. Dried Shrimp Curry. Made with my own green curry paste. Rewarding. Delicious. Let’s make this curry.

Ingredients:

1 potato
5 mushrooms
½ squash
½ onion
½ green pepper
½ red pepper
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
¼ pound dried shrimp
Some vegetable oil
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon lemon grass
1 can coconut milk

Thai Green Paste:

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
12 black peppercorns
12 small dried shrimp or 1 teaspoon shrimp paste
20 Thai green chillies
2 shallots
1 lemon grass stalk
3 kaffir lime leaves
Some grated kaffir rind
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh galangal (or ginger, if you cannot get galangal)
½ teaspoon salt
½ tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

First we will make our green paste. We will take the cumin and the coriander seeds and we will dry-roast them in a pan. Be careful, do not burn the seeds. Once this is done, put them in a mortar and grind them along with the peppercorns and the dried shrimp.
Prepare the green chillies. You will have to remove the seeds and chop them a bit. Now we will start mixing all the green paste ingredients in a blender. We will chop the shallots and lemon grass and then we will put them in the blender. We will do the same with the kaffir lime leaves, the galangal and the garlic. We will add the grated kaffir rind. Now we can blend a little. After this, we will add the rest of the ingredients for our paste: the green chillies, the mix with cumin, coriander, dried shrimp and peppercorns. We will blend again and then we will add some sugar, some salt to taste and some vegetable oil. We have to use the oil to get a delicious green paste, so use it to get the paste to your taste. And with this we will have our green paste.
Then we will prepare the potato. Peel it and cut it in pieces. Boil it and when it is ready, reserve it. Now cut the vegetables. Not in very big pieces. Chop the garlic and the ginger.
Once the vegetables are ready, we will start by heating two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok. Then we will sauté the onion and the green pepper. Two minutes later, add the squash, the mushrooms, the red pepper, the garlic and the ginger. Then we will add the shrimp and two or three tablespoons of the curry paste. The rest of the paste you can freeze for the future. Add the fish sauce and the lemon grass, fresh or packaged, as it is more conveniente for you. Cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the coconut milk and keep on cooking for two more minutes. Add the boiled potatoes now. Cook for five more minutes. You can add some fresh cilantro if you want.
Serve hot with rice. Enjoy!

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PORK VINDALOO

Let’s come back to Goa! We will make a delicious vindaloo today. Vindaloos are dishes with meat, some vegetables and vinegar. Yes. Vinegar. It gives the flavor to this dish. A dish with influences from Portugal. A mixture of Portuguese and Indian cooking. Let’s cook!

Ingredients:

10 Kashmiri red chilies
1 pound pork, cubed
4 green cardamom pods (without the pods)
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
8 black peppercorns
1 teaspoon ground Kashmiri red chillies
3 cloves
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
Some salt to taste
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
2 potatoes
Some vegetable oil
½ cup chopped onion
2 bay leaves
Some red wine vinegar
Some basmati rice

To make our Pork Vindaloo first we will have to prepare our vindaloo paste. To do this, soak the Kashmiri red chilies in warm water for about half an hour. The next step is grinding the spices. Grind the cardamom, cinnamon, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, ground Kashmiri red chillies, cloves, turmeric and black mustard seeds in a mortar.
Then we will put the soaked Kashmiri red chilies, garlic, ginger, vinegar and the mix of the mortar in a blender. Blend everything well to get the vindaloo paste, adding some water if necessary.
Once we have the vindaloo paste, we will have to mix it with the meat. Mix well and let it marinate for some hours. Doing it overnight it is a good idea.
When ready to start cooking, first we will peel and cut the potatoes in little pieces. We will bring to a boil but do not cook them completely. Reserve them.
Next we will put some oil in a wok. Once is hot, add the chopped onion. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the bay leaves. Then add the pork with the marinade. Cook for some minutes and if we see we need to add more liquid, add some vinegar or a little water, depending if the acidity you want for your vindaloo. But just do this, if it is necessary. We do not want too much liquid.
When the meat is almost ready, add the potatoes and mix well. Let it cook for a while so that the potatoes get the vindaloo flavor. Serve with cooked basmati.
A very delicious dish. Indeed. Enjoy!

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BOMBAY DUCKS

They are not ducks. Bombay Ducks are fish. This is a recipe that comes from India. A different and particular dish. An acquired taste too. I have not tasted fresh Bombay Ducks. I have only tried dried and preserved ones. People that have tasted the fresh ones say they are different. I will have to stick to my preserved Bombay Ducks by now. Let’s cook.

Ingredients:

1 small chopped onion
2 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
½ chopped green pepper
1 small chopped tomato
Some Reichada Masala
½ lb Boneless Masala Bombay Ducks, shredded
Some vegetable oil
Some water
Some salt to taste

First we will put some oil in a saucepan and we will heat it. When it is hot, we will add the onion, the potatoes and the green pepper. We will sauté these vegetables for a couple of minutes and then we will add the tomato.
We will cook for one minute and then we will add the Reichada Masala. The amount of masala will depend on the brand of the Reichada. Some brands are stronger than other. So, it is a good idea to be careful about the amount of masala we use.
We will add the shredded Bombay Ducks now. We will cook for two minutes and then we will add some water. Not much. We will have to add more but it is better to do it little by little.
Now we will only have to keep on cooking. The fire must be low. And we will have to add water if we see that our Bombay Ducks need it. Do not forget to stir it from time to time. Your Bombay Ducks will be ready when the potatoes are tender.
You can serve them with some basmati rice. Enjoy!

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TOFU CURRY

We will make a curry today. But it is going to be a special curry. A Tofu Curry. That means that today we will cook vegetarian.
Tofu is made of soy beans. There are different kinds of tofu. I prefer the hard to the soft tofu. You can use the one you like. And if you have not tried it yet, this is a good moment to do it. Let’s make our Tofu Curry.

Ingredients:

½ small chopped onion
1 small chopped carrot
½ cup chopped green pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
Some bamboo shoots
½ cup chopped squash
½ cup chopped mushrooms
½ cup chopped eggplant
1 14 oz. packet firm tofu
1 tablespoon tamarind from a compressed block
1 teaspoon star aniseed teaspoon
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Some salt to taste
1 inch cinnamon stick
3 cloves
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
4 green cardamom pods (without the pods)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground chilli powder
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup coconut milk

To make our Tofu Curry we will start preparing the vegetables. We will cut and chop the vegetables. We will also cut the tofu in cubes. The next thing is to prepare the spice mix. We will do that in a mortar. We will put in the mortar the star aniseed, the black pepper, the cinnamon, the cloves, the cumin seeds, the coriander seeds, the cardamoms, the turmeric and the chilli powder. We will work on them to get a mix of spices. Do not powder them too much, though.
Now we will prepare the tamarind. To do this we will put the piece of tamarind in a container. Then we will add some warm water. We will let the tamarind soak for some minutes. We can use our fingers to press the tamarind and release the juice of the tamarind. Then we can use a sieve to get the juice we need.
Once we have everything ready, we will start cooking our curry. First we will heat the oil in a wok. Then we will sauté the onion, the carrot and the green pepper. When these are a bit done, we will add the rest of the vegetables. We will keep on cooking for a couple of minutes. Then we will add the mix of spices. We will stir well. We will add some salt to taste. Then we will add the tamarind and the tofu. We will cook for a minute. Now we will add the coconut milk. We will turn the fire low and cook for five more minutes.
And the curry is ready. You can serve it with some basmati rice. Enjoy your Tofu Curry.

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THAI GREEN CHICKEN CURRY

Let’s make a Thai Green Chicken Curry today. And we will make our own green curry paste. You can buy delicious Thai curry pastes, it is true. But we will make ours from scratch. It is not difficult. And it will be rewarding.

Ingredients:

Thai Green Paste:

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
12 black peppercorns
12 small dried shrimp or 1 teaspoon shrimp paste
20 Thai green chillies
2 shallots
1 lemon grass stalk
3 kaffir lime leaves
Some grated kaffir rind
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh galangal (or ginger, if you cannot get galangal)
½ teaspoon salt
½ tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Chicken Curry:

1 big chicken breast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ chopped onion
½ cup cubed squash
½ cup chopped green pepper
1 chopped carrot
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 tomato
1 teaspoon fish sauce
½ cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro

First we will make our green paste. We will take the cumin and the coriander seeds and we will dry-roast them in a pan. Be careful, do not burn the seeds. Once this is done, put them in a mortar and grind them along with the peppercorns and the dried shrimp.
Prepare the green chillies. You will have to remove the seeds and chop them a bit. Now we will start mixing all the green paste ingredients in a blender. We will chop the shallots and lemon grass and then we will put them in the blender. We will do the same with the kaffir lime leaves, the galangal and the garlic. We will add the grated kaffir rind. Now we can blend a little. After this, we will add the rest of the ingredients for our paste: the green chillies, the mix with cumin, coriander, dried shrimp and peppercorns. We will blend again and then we will add some sugar, some salt to taste and some vegetable oil. We have to use the oil to get a delicious green paste, so use it to get the paste to your taste. And with this we will have our green paste.
Now we will start with the curry. We will cut the chicken the way we want, cubes, strips, it is up to you. We will prepare the vegetables too.
Then, in a wok, we will heat the vegetable oil. Once it the oil is hot, we will start cooking our ingredients. First, the onion, the carrot and the green pepper. A couple of minutes later we will add the chicken to the wok. Stir continuously, that is always a good idea. You can add some extra garlic and galangal (or ginger) now. We have these ingredients in the paste but it would be good to add some more.
We will add now the fish sauce. And then we will add the mushrooms and the squash. A minute later we will add the green paste, two or three tablespoons, to your taste. We will stir and mix everything and then we will add the tomato cut in little pieces.
Now is when we can add the coconut milk. We will cook our curry very gently now. It is the time to add the lime juice and the chopped cilantro.
We can add some other ingredients. For example we can add some peanuts and bamboo shoots. Do this when u add the chicken to the wok. A good touch is adding some basil, Thai basil if you can get it. Add it when you add the fresh cilantro. We will have our Thai Green Chicken Curry ready now. You just have to serve it with some Thai Jasmine rice. And enjoy your Thai Green Chicken Curry cooked with your own Thai Green Paste!

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MEATBALL CURRY

More meatballs! This time with an Indian influence. A delicious Meatball Curry that will show you that meatballs can be served in many ways, with different flavours and different influences. To make the meatballs tastier we will mix the meat with some spices that will turn our meatballs into something really good. Don’t forget the cardamom. My favourite spice!

Ingredients:

8 green cardamom pods (without the pods)
12 black peppercorns
1 tablespoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
3 cloves
½ cinnamon stick
A little piece of star aniseed
A pinch of asafoetida
1 red chilli
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
½ lb ground lamb or ground beef
1 egg
1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
Salt to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 big potato
Some flour
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped green pepper
½ cup green beans
½ cup squash
½ cup chopped mushrooms
1 small chopped tomato
1 chopped green onion
1 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
Some cooked basmati rice

Curries are very rewarding. The same as meatballs. Let’s make a rewarding curry then.
We will start preparing the spices. In a mortar we will grind the cardamom seeds, the peppercorns, the coriander, the cumin, the cloves, the cinnamon, the star aniseed and the red chilli. We will add the asafoetida to this mix.
Now we will mix the meat, some salt, half the spice mix, the egg, the breadcrumbs, half the garlic and half the ginger in a container. We will mix this so that we get a consistent mix. If we need it, we can add more breadcrumbs.
As for the potato, we will peel it and cut it in small pieces. Then we will boil these potato pieces. When they are ready, we will reserve them.
Now we will start making our meatballs. We will shape our meatballs with the help of some flour. Heat some oil in a frying pan and cook the meatballs. They do not need to be completely cooked because we will finish cooking them later. When they are brown, reserve them on kitchen paper towel.
Now we will take a wok and heat some oil in it, not much. When the oil is hot, we will sauté the onion and the green pepper. A bit later we will add the squash, the green beans and the mushrooms. When this is a bit done, we will add the rest of the spice mix and the rest of the garlic and ginger. Of course, it is important to be stirring and moving the wok. Now we will add the tomato and after one minute, we can add the coconut milk and the turmeric. Stir and add the potatoes that we had reserved.
Finally we will add the meatballs to the wok. We will let them simmer at a low temperature for some minutes. Just before serving, add the cilantro, the lime juice and the green onion. Add some salt to taste if necessary. Serve with basmati rice if you want. And enjoy your Meatball Curry!

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BEEF RENDANG

We come back to Asia. We will cook a delicious Rendang. A curry-like dish popular in Indonesia and Malaysia. We will need time to cook it and we will have to do it slowly but the result is great.
In fact Rendang is not a curry. The secret of Rendang is to cook it slowly and get rid off most of the liquid.
Let’s make it.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons flake unsweetened coconut
½ pound beef, cut into little cubes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ cup chopped onion or shallot
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3 dried red chilli peppers
1 tablespoon lemon grass (from a tube, or use fresh if you can get it)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon sugar
Some salt, to taste
3 cloves
½ cinnamon stick
1 cup coconut milk
Some water

First we will dry-roast the flake unsweetened coconut in a wok. We will stir continuously being careful so that we do not burn the coconut. When the coconut is golden brown, we will reserve the coconut.
Next we will take a food processor and we will blend the onion or shallot, the ginger, the garlic, the chilli peppers and the lemon grass. We must get a paste. We will reserve it.
Now we will grind the cumin, the fennel, the coriander and the nutmeg in a mortar.
And now we will take the wok and we will start cooking the paste from the food processor. You do not need to use too much oil. In a couple of minutes we can add the spices from the mortar. It is important to be stirring continuously. Cook for three minutes. Then, we will add the beef and let it cook for some minutes over medium heat till it gets browned. Now we will add the sugar, the cloves, the cinnamon stick, the coconut milk and the roasted coconut. We will bring to a boil, lower the heat and let it simmer. We can add some water if we see that the beef needs it to be cooked properly. Our Beef Rendang will be ready when the beef is tender and the liquid is almost gone. It is a slow process, give it one hour at least. Remember we must be simmering it. You can serve it with some rice and steamed vegetables. Really good.

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CHICKEN ALMOND CURRY WITH COCONUT MILK

We come back to India. This is a delicious recipe from Bengala. Something not very complicated but really delicious. Chicken, almonds, coconut and spices, of course.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast
2 tablespoons oil
Some salt
1 tablespoon ground almonds
1 tablespoon flaked unsweetened coconut
½ cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground chilli powder
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 bay leaf
5 green cardamoms
1 dry red chilli
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

The first thing we will do is to dry-roast the almonds and the flaked unsweetened coconut. The almonds must be peeled and then ground. We have to be careful. We must not burn the almonds and the coconut. We have to be stirring continuously and when the almonds and the coconut start to become brown, we will remove them from the fire. We do this to get more flavour. We will put the almonds and coconut in a bowl. Then we will add the coconut milk to the bowl. Along with the coconut milk we will add the ground coriander, the ground chilli powder, the ginger, the garlic and some salt. We will mix it well.
Now we will start cooking the chicken. Previously we will have cubed it. We will heat the oil in a wok and when it is hot, we will add the chicken, the cardamoms and the bay leaf. We will cook it for about three minutes, stirring continuously.
Then we will add the mixture in the bowl and we will lower the heat. Now we will add the dry red chilli and the cilantro. We will cover the wok and let it cook for 15 minutes. We can stir the chicken from time to time.
Finally, we will uncover, stir and let it cook three more minutes. And the chicken is ready. We can serve it with basmati. Enjoy.

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PORK BALCHAO

The perfect mixture. That is what Goa is. This is a dish with influences from very different worlds. Pork, vinegar, Indian spices: Goa.

Ingredients:

1 inch cinnamon stick
1-2 dried red chillies
3 cloves
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
4 green cardamom pods (without the pods)
8 black peppercorns
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 pound pork, cubed
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ cup warm water
1 small chopped tomato
1 teaspoon ground chilli powder
1 small chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons wine vinegar

Grind the cinnamon, red chillies, cloves, cumin seeds, cardamom pods and peppercorns in a mortar.
Heat half the oil in a wok and add the ginger and garlic. Fry them slightly for half a minute, then add the mortar mix and fry for another half a minute stirring constantly.
Then, add the pork and the turmeric and raise the heat a bit. Fry for five minutes stirring regularly.
Add the water, tomato, chilli powder and bring to a boil. Cover the wok and cook gently for 20 minutes. Stir from time to time.
In another pan, heat the other half of oil and fry the onion till it is golden, stirring regularly.
When the onion is almost done, add it to the wok with the pork. Add the salt, the sugar and the vinegar too. After stirring a bit, cover the wok and simmer till the pork is done.
It is possible to cook the balchao with more vegetables but I only would add some carrots, finely chopped.
Serve the pork balchao with some basmati rice, cooked separately.
It is a good idea to prepare this dish in advance. In fact, it tastes better if you eat it the following day. It is safe to keep it in the fridge for several days.

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