Goan Pork Vindaloo In Pungent Brown Sauce

Ingredients	Quantity
Boneless pork shoulder	2 pounds
Tamarind pulp (see note)	1 ½ pieces
Dried red chilli peppers – seeded, coarsely chopped	14
Cinnamon stick	1 ½
Cloves – ground	20
Coriander seeds	2 tsp
Cumin seeds	2 tsp
Black mustard seeds	2  tsp
Black pepper corns	¾ tsp
Minced fresh ginger	2 tbsp
Minced garlic	2 tbsp
Cider vinegar	½ cup
Peanut oil	½ cup
Onions – chopped	2
Salt	to taste

It's interesting, as I go through this humungous pile of newspapers, to see how my tastes have changed over the past three years. Some of the things I marked then, I find myself discarding now. Some of the stuff that didn't interest me at the time, I'm scanning to save. This one was on the list then and is still on the list.

Trim the meat and cut into 3/4-inch pieces.

Place the tamarind in a nonmetallic bowl; pour in 1 ½ cups hot water and let soak at least 1 hour. Work the tamarind with fingers to squeeze out as much pulp and juice as possible. Strain into a bowl and set aside. Discard the residue.

Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Add the chilli peppers, cinnamon sticks, cloves, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and black peppercorns; roast the spices, stirring and shaking the skillet constantly, until the coriander, cumin and chilli peppers turn several shades darker, and all the spices release their fragrance. This will take 3 to 4 minutes, Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Grind the spices in a spice grinder and set aside.

Put the ginger and garlic in a medium-sized non metallic bowl with the vinegar. Blend in the ground, roasted spices. Add the meat and mix thoroughly to coat with the spice mixture. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight or up to 48 hours.

Heat the oil in a heavy pan, add onions and cook until they turn reddish brown, 12 to 20 minutes. Add the meat (with its marinade) in two batches, stirring and searing the pieces over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until almost all the liquid evaporates and fat separates from the mixture. You will see small pools of fat on the surface.

Stir in the tamarind and some salt; cover and simmer until the meat is very tender, about 1 hour. Check the water content from time to time, and add ¼ cup hot water once or twice. Serve hot with steamed rice.

NOTE: Tamarind is found in cake form at Indian markets.

Dopiaza - (Pork Curry With Onions)

Ingredients	Quantity
Onions – skinned	2 ½ pounds
Ghee or vegetable oil	4 ounces
Limes or lemon juice	2 tbsp
Boneless pork – cubed	1 ½ pounds
Ground coriander	2 tsp
Turmeric	2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds	1 tsp
Salt	1 tsp
Chilli powder	½ tsp or more if liked

Chop half the onions very finely. Heat the ghee in a heavy-based saucepan or flame-proof casserole, add the onions and the lime or lemon juice and fry very gently for 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until light golden and quite dry. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.

Add the pork to the residual ghee in the pan and fry over high heat until well browned on all sides. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a separate plate.

Thinly slice the remaining onions. Add to the pan, with the coriander, turmeric, fenugreek, salt and chilli powder. Fry gently for about ten minutes until the onions are soft, then return the pork to the pan and stir to mix with the onions. Moisten with a little water if necessary, then cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the pork is tender.

Add the reserved chopped onion to the pork and mix well. Continue cooking for about 15 minutes, stirring constantly until the sauce is thick and almost dry. Turn into a warmed serving dish and serve hot.

Serving Suggestions:      Serve with Chappatis, Naan or Roti and a vegetable dish such as Hare Sem aur Nariya (Green beans with coconut).

Bhuna Gosht - 1

Ingredients	Quantity
Pork fillets	750gms (1 ½ lb)
Coriander seeds roughly pounded	2 tbsp
Pepper	1 tsp
Paprika salt	1 tbsp
Oil	4 tbsp

2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander lemon wedges Slit the fillets lengthways and cut each side into quaters. Prick them all over with a fork. Mix together the coriander, pepper, paprika and salt to taste and rub into the meat on both sides. Leave to stand for 1 hour. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the meat and fry quickly on both sides to seal. Lower the heat and saute for 5 minutes or until cooked through, stirring and turning to prevent burning. Sprinkle with the coriander and serve with lemon.

Homemade ham

Ingredients	Quantity
Pork (leg)	2.7kg
Salt	250gms
Lime juice	¼ cup
Saltpetre	60gms

Wipe pork well. Prick with a fork all over and apply salt and lime juice. Put the saltpetre into a strong empty tin. Burn a few coconut shells and put into the tin taking care to see that your face is not too close to the tin as the flame leaps up immediately. When burnt, add one cup of cold water. Strain the liquid through a clean cloth. Pour over the pork and mix well. Put the pork into a clean bowl and set aside for six days. After the 6^th day, strain the liquid. Cover with fresh water. Add a pint of beef and boil for use.