ROSHAN's CUCINA

Pork Vindalho (Vindaloo)

Pork Vindalho is a much liked dish in Anglo-Indian homes, be it a Goan Anglo or a Fort Kochi Anglo. Tangy, yet delicate this is something worth trying!!

If you are not a pork eater, you can try this with beef.

If you are a vegan do check out the eggplant and potato vindaloo in this blog.

This is a recipe which i had posted during the initial days of blogging. I am reposting it for this Christmas season.

the recipe

Pork – 1 kg

Ingredients for the Mustard & Red Chilly paste

Dry Red Chillies (whole – Kashmiri chillies are better) – 25 – 30 or 3 tablespoon kashmiri chilly powder

Mustard – 1 1/2 tbsp

Cumin – ½ tsp

Pepper corns – 1 tsp

Cardamom – 3

Cinnamon – 2 cm piece

Cloves - 5

Garlic – 12 – 15 cloves

Ginger – 3 cm piece

Shallots (small onion) – 12 – 15

Vinegar – 4 tbsp

Tomato - 1

Oil – 1 tbsp

Onion – 1

Turmeric – ½ tsp

Salt – 1 ½ tsp

Sugar – ½ tsp

the method

In a mixer, finely powder the red chillies, mustard, cumin, pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Add ginger, garlic, shallots, vinegar and tomato to the powdered mixture and grind to a fine past by adding required amount of water.

Cut the pork into flat 4 x 6 cm pieces or any preferred shape. Marinate the pork with Mustard & Red Chilly paste and salt for at least an hour.

In a pan, add oil. Stir in the onion till translucent and add the turmeric. Add the marinated pork. Cook till done. Add sugar just before turning off heat (Alternatively, the meat can be cooked in a pressure cooker for 7 whistle). Serve with rice or bread.

The addition of 1 tbsp brandy at the end would give a tasty twist to the Vindalho / Vindaloo.

Buttermilk Fruit Cake - - - - - Eggless

After the MARBLE FRUIT CAKE recipe, this is yet another fruit cake I prepared during this season. The reason is nothing but last Christmas i had kept the Kerala Fruit Cake / Plum Cake recipe to be published on the day before Christmas and it never happened. So this year I am on a spree to prepare fruit cakes and i have researched and shortlisted many recipes to be tried. Do stay tuned to this space for more fruit cake recipes.

This Buttermilk Fruit Cake recipe is adapted from Joy of Baking and this was just perfect. I have slightly adjusted the quantity of flour and buttermilk to suit the kind of maida / flour available in Kerala. I feel the volume of flour is less for what we get here. There is also a healthy twist to this recipe. I have added wheat flour to more than half part of the flour. The cake was perfect and there was lot of appreciation from my family and colleagues who had this cake. So, if you love some positive comments do try this one. It is a foolproof recipe (with lots of thanks to Joy of Baking).

the recipe

dry ingredients
Flour (Maida) – 100 gms
Wheat flour – 140 gms
Sugar – 160 gms
Nutmeg – 1/3 of a seed or 1 tsp nutmeg powder
Cinnamon – ¾ inch piece or 1 tsp Cinnamon powder
Baking soda – 1 tsp
Salt – 1 generous pinch

Dry fruits – coarsely chopped

Dark raisins – 80 gms
Dates – 100 gms approx ( I used about 15 dates)
Golden raisins – 100 gms

Wet ingredients

Buttermilk – 250 – 260 ml
Melted butter (unsalted) – 120 gms
Vanilla extract – ¾ tsp

the method

Preheat oven at 170 C. Prepare a round cake pan by applying butter and dusting flour. Place a round sheet of butter paper , parchment paper or any white paper on the bottom of the pan.

Sieve the flour, wheat flour, salt and baking soda once. Powder the sugar alongwith the nutmeg and cinnamon (if using whole spices).

Place the flour mix in a bowl. Use about 1/4th of the flour to coat the dry fruits (this is to prevent the dry fruits from sinking into the bottom of the cake).

To the remaining flour mix, add the sugar mix and mix well.

Melt butter in a pan and let it cool to room temperature. Pour the buttermilk and vanilla extract and mix well.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and add the flour coated dry fruits, mix quickly and immediately pour into a prepared pan.

Bake at 170 C for 35 – 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. If the cake starts to brown after about 15 to 20 minutes, cover the cake pan with a parchment paper.

Serve warm or cold.

We had this for breakfast. You can keep the dry ingredients ready a day or two before and keep the chopped dry fruits in the refrigerator. Whenever you feel like baking just mix and bake.

cheers...

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Souperoni

The name souperoni is nothing but the addition of macaroni in this lightly hot and tangy soup. The souperoni is perfect for a cold day and a nice way to make kids have soup.

the recipe
3 ripe tomatoes, blanched

1 large clove of garlic, chopped

1 tsp veg oil

½ tsp chilly powder

1 tsp soya sauce

1 tbsp tomato sauce

2 tbsp chopped spring onion

Salt to taste

½ tsp sugar

1 tsp corn flour diluted in 3 tbsp water

a handful of macaroni

¼ tsp white pepper or black pepper powder

the method

heat oil in a pan and stir the garlic till the raw smell goes off (the garlic should remain white), drain from the oil. Turn off heat. Place the sautéed garlic and blached and chopped tomatoes in a blender and grind to a fine paste (do not add water).

Heat the pan (in medium flame) with the remaining oil and add the chilly powder and macaroni. Saute for about 5 seconds and add the soya sauce, tomato sauce and sugar. Stir for few seconds and add the pureed tomatoes and salt. Stir well and let the mix boil. When the macaroni is almost cooked add the corn starch. Bring the souperoni to boil and spring the pepper powder and spring onions. Turn off heat and serve hot.