Pork vindaloo

Vindaloo is originally a goan dish, introduced by the portugese . From what I have researched about this mouth watering dish is that it takes after two main ingredients - vinho which means wine or wine vinegar and alhos which is garlic. Over a period of time, vindaloo had taken in different forms and ingredients in each household with the use of red chilles, lime juice, potatoes and so on. Although my mother is a Manglorean, I never learnt this dish from her since she never made pork at home. Maybe it was partly because my dad never ate pork. So it was totally ironic that I had to learn this from my mother-in-law who is a Tamilian.According to me, this is her version of a Tamil style of vindaloo since she adds mustard seeds .It is simple to make, tasty and is best served with white bread.

1 lb - Pork Butt (Cut into 1.5 inch cubes)
2 - Medium Sized Onions
2 - Medium Sized Tomatoes
5-6 - Garlic (Peeled)
2 Tbsp- Vinegar
1 Tsp - Mustard Seeds
5-6 - Curry Leaves
4-5 - Red Chillies( Depending on the level of spiciness)
1 Tsp - Cumin
1 Tsp - Turmeric Powder
Salt to taste

Grind the onions, garlic, cumin and the red chillies in a blender and keep aside.

Grind the tomatoes separately and keep aside.

In a pan or pressure cooker, add one teaspoon oil .When it is hot, add the mustard seeds, wait for the splutter and then add the curry leaves and the ground mixture. Saute the ground mixture well until it becomes brown and forms a thick consistency.

Add the pureed tomatoes, saute well and then add the pork pieces. Add turmeric powder and salt to taste and cook/pressure cook the pork until well done. Once cooked, you should see the pork fat on the top of the curry. Let it boil until it becomes thick of a gravy consistency. Add 2 tbsp of vinegar, remove from heat and serve hot with rice or white bread.

An unsual Combination

Pork Noodles

This dish combines ridge gourd and pork, probably the most unusual combination for noodles. Since ridge gourd is a taste-less vegetable, it does not over power the pork, yet remains in the background to lend a very true taste, uniquely its own. I used pork belly with fat since it tastes better and also because my son adores it but for all you health consious people out there, you can use lean pork or any other meat of your choice.

















Ingredients :

Pork - 1/2 lb
Noodles - 8 Ounces ( 5 packets )
Ridge Gourd - 1
Carrot - 1
Beans - 1 cup
Onion - 1/2
Cornflour - 2 Tblsp
Capsicum - 1
Cabbage - 1/3 ( Approx. 1 cup)
Optional: Cauliflower
Optional : Ajinomoto

Sliced Ridge Gourd

Boil noodles according to instructions and keep aside. Slice the carrots and ridge gourd into 1/2 slices. Slice the cabbage, capsicum and onions into squares. You can add cauilflower too..however that is optional.Saute the onions and cabbage in a pan with a little bit of oil and salt for about 10 minutes until the veggies are cooked thru but still remain crunchy.
Remove, keep aside.

Carrot, Beans, Cabbage and Green Peppers

In the same pan, add a tsp of oil add the beans , carrots and green peppers and a little bit of salt and saute until cooked but still crunchy. Keep aside. In the same pan, add the cabbage and gourd. saute for about 5 minutes . These get cooked very fast so take care it does not get over-cooked.

Pressure cook the pork pieces along with 1/2 a cup of water and salt and pepper for about 20 minutes or for upto three whistles . Once the pork is cooked, add the meat to the pan in which you sauteed the veggies. Let the water dry. When there is no more water, add the cooked veggies quickly as the pork fat tends to splatter when it becomes dry.

Saute the veggies for a couple of minutes in the pan along with pork. Check for seasonings and add salt if needed. Add one cup of water. Meanwhile, In another cup of water dissolve two tblsp of corn starch. When the mixture starts to bubble, add the corn starch mixture. The consistency of the sauce should be a little thick , like that of a soup. If you think its watery, add some more corn starch. Once the sauce has reached its consistency, turn off and serve hot with noodles.


I usually serve the noodles and the sauce separately.

Pepper Pork

Ingredients :

Pork (Cut into cubes) - 1 lb
Onions – 2
Green Chillies – 5-6
Red or Green Bell Pepper – 1
Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 Tbsp
Turmeric Powder – ½ Tsp
Pepper Powder – 2 tsp
Garam Masala Powder – 1 Tsp

Finely chop the onions.De-seed and cut the bell pepper into squares. In a pressure cooker add oil, add the chopped onions and green chillies. Saute until the onions turn transparent . Add the ginger garlic paste and the powders. Saute for about 2-3 minutes and add the pork pieces. Pressure cook the pork for about three whistles. Once done, open the cooker and sauté for about 5 minutes more until the gravy is nice and thick and sticks to the pork. Serve hot with rice.