Tag: South Asian
Sri Lankan Pork Curry
Sri Lankan Pork Curry
With Sri Lanka being 70% Buddhist, they are one of the few areas in South Asia that consumes my favorite meat, pork. This curry is traditionally cooked in a clay pot; but using a large sauté pan will work just fine. Ready in just over an hour, the curry is bursting with flavor. You can adjust the heat level by adding as many green chilies as you’d like. Serve the curry over steamed rice.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 20 curry leaves
- 1 large red onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp hot chili powder
- 3 tbsp madras curry powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 green chilies thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp tamarind concentrate
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 3 lbs pork shoulder cubed
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp garam masala
Instructions
- Heat coconut oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the mustard seeds and cinnamon stick for a minute.
- Add in the cumin seeds and curry leaves. Sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add in the red onions. Sauté for 10 minutes.
- Stir in all of the ground spices and ginger garlic paste. Sauté for 1 minute.
- Stir in the tomato paste, green chilies, tamarind, and coconut milk.
- Add in the pork. Pour in the chicken stock. Cover and simmer over medium low heat for 1 hour.
- Season with salt to taste. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of garam masala.
Madras Curry Powder
While the British claim to have invented madras curry powder in th 1960’s, it can be traced back to South India in the state of Tamil Nadu in the 1700’s. The spice was commercially produced and sold to the British army and government.To make the curry powder, I recommend individually toasting all of the whole spices, since they all toast at different rates. Once all of the spices are cooled, grind all of them in a spice grinder. You can use the curry powder in a variety of South Asian curries; pairing well with just about every protein.
Equipment
- Spice grinder
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp cumin seeds
- 3 tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp black mustard seeds
- 3” cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 tbsp fenugreek seeds
- 2 star anise
- 10 curry leaves
- 8 green cardamom pods
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- 4 dried Kashmiri chilies
Instructions
- Individually dry toast all of the whole spices. Grind everything together in a spice grinder.
Afghani Chicken Kabobs
Afghani Chicken Kabobs
Afghani cuisine is influenced by Middle Eastern and South Asian cuisines. The people of Afghanistan are big meat eaters and love to barbecue. Kabobs are a staple of their cuisine. Instead of cooking them in a tandoor like their neighbors in Pakistan and India, kabobs are grilled over an open flame.
Servings: 2
Equipment
- food processor
- metal skewers
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs cut into 2” pieces
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 large red bell pepper
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Purée all of the marinade ingredients in a food processor.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 8 hours.
- Turn on your oven’s broiler. Place 4 pieces of the marinated chicken on metal skewers. Place the chicken kabobs on a rack on a baking sheet lined in foil.
- Broil the chicken for 6 minutes a side. They will cook for the same amount of time if using a grill. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Pakistani Mixed Bean Salad
Pakistani Mixed Bean Salad
This mixed bean salad is the perfect balance of savory, spicy, and tartness. It assembles in 5 minutes and only needs a couple of hours to for all of the ingredients to meld together. Toss with chopped cilantro right before serving.
Ingredients
- 1 can white beans
- 1 can garbanzo beans
- 2 Roma tomatoes seeded and diced
- 1/2 medium white onion diced
- 2 green bird’s eye chilies finely chopped
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Mix together all of the ingredients except the cilantro. Let the ingredients marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Mix in the cilantro right before serving.
