Mike Wolfberg's Recipe for Soor Vindaloo - Vinegared Pork
Curry
This is one of a dozen recipes developed by Mike for a Concord/Carlisle
Massachusetts Newcomers Gourmet Group dinner which
took place on 1-Mar-75.
NOTE: A BLENDER IS NEEDED TO
PREPARE THIS RECIPE
(Approximate preparation time: 2 3/4 during 6 1/2 hours, as
3/4 hours initial preparation +
3 hours essentially unattended marination +
2 hours second preparation +
3/4 hours unattended cooking)
- 4 lb. Pork Loin Sirloin Roast
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3/4 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground hot red pepper
- 5 TBL. distilled white vinegar
- 3/4 c. + 1/4 c + 1 tsp. + 3/4 c. water
- 2 oz. tamarind
- one 3" cinnamon stick
- half of a large dried hot red chili
- 8 whole cloves
- 2 TBL. coriander seeds
- 1/8 tsp. of seeds of a large brown cardamom
- 1 tsp. cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp. kalunji (black onion seeds)
- about 1 oz. fresh ginger root
- about 12 large cloves of garlic
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 1 medium onion (3 oz.)
- 1 TBL. + 1 TBL. ghee
- 1/8 tsp. fenugreek seeds (about 35 seeds)
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
- Cut the pork into pieces which are generally about
1" cubes (but also retaining smaller pieces), thoroughly trimming
away all fat. This yields about 2 lb. of pieces. Discard the fat
and any bone.
- Place into a deep (non-aluminum) bowl: black pepper, 1
1/2 tsp. of salt, ground cumin, and ground hot red pepper. Add the white
vinegar and mix thoroughly.
- Add the pork pieces to the bowl and mix thoroughly to
coat them evenly. Cover, and set them aside to marinate at room
temperature for about 3 hours. Toss them well every 30 minutes to keep
them moist.
- After the pork has marinated for about 3 hours, bring
3/4 c. water to a boil. Break the piece of tamarind into several small
pieces and put them into a small bowl. Add the boiling water and poke the
tamarind down to submerge it. Let it soak for 30-45 minutes while making
further preparations.
- Wrap the cinnamon stick in a kitchen towel and coarsely
crush it with a rolling pin or mallet. Drop the crushed cinnamon stick
into the thoroughly dry jar of an electric blender.
- Handle the chili with care; see these notes. Deseed and coarsely chop the piece
of chili pod. Add it to the blender jar.
- Add to the jar: cloves, coriander seeds, brown cardamom
seeds, cumin seeds, and kalungi (black onion) seeds. Cover the jar and set
it aside for further use in step 12.
- Into a bowl drain the marinade as thoroughly as
possible from the pork. Squeeze each piece with your hands. Reserve the
marinade for use in step 13 and the pork pieces for use in step 15.
- Scrape or slice away the brown skin of the ginger root
and discard. Chop the ginger to yield 2 TBL. and set it aside for use in
step 13.
- Peel the garlic cloves and chop the garlic to yield 3
TBL. Set it aside for use in step 13.
- Once the tamarind has soaked for at least 30 minutes
and softened, prepare tamarind "juice" by straining the tamarind
and it soaking liquid into a bowl through a food mill or fine sieve. If
you find any pits, discard them immediately. Press down on the stringy
pulp to extract as much as possible before discarding the pulp.
(You should be discarding very little pulp.) Set the juice aside for use
in step 13.
- Blend the dry spices in the blender jar at high speed
for 2-3 minutes until they become a fine powder. Turn off the blender and
scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.
- Add to the blender jar: the pork marinade, tamarind
juice, sugar, chopped ginger, and crushed garlic. Cover and blend at high
speed for 3-5 minutes until the mixture is smooth. Turn off the blender
and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula if necessary. Also, if
necessary, add 1 TBL. of water at a time up to 1/4 c., to aid in blending.
Set the blended spices aside for use in step 18.
- Peel and finely chop the onion to yield about
2/3 c.
- In a 2-quart or large ovenware dish which can also be
used on the stove, heat 1 TBL. of the ghee over medium-high heat. Add 1/4
to 1/3 of the pork to lightly brown them in a single layer; toss the
pieces occasionally for about 5 minutes and then remove them to a bowl
with a slotted spoon. Continue browning the remainder of the pork in the
same manner. The dish will acquire more cooking liquid as this process
continues. After all the pork has been browned (and removed), discard
all of the cooking liquid, and return the dish to the burner.
- In the same dish, heat 1 TBL. of ghee over moderate
heat until a drop of water flicked into it sputters instantly. Add the
fenugreek seeds and stir for just 5 seconds. Immediately add the
chopped onions and stir, sprinkle with the 1/2 tsp. of salt, and fry for
5-7 minutes until they are richly browned. If necessary, lower the heat to
avoid burning. Stir occasionally, but meanwhile, measure 1/4 c. of water
to have it ready to use in step 18.
- Add the turmeric to the onions and stir. Add about 1
tsp. water and fry for 1 minute stirring constantly.
- Add the spice mixture in the blender jar to the onion
mixture and stir. Pour the 1/4 c. of water (measured in step 16) into the
blender jar, cover, and blend for 10 seconds to retrieve all of the spice
mixture remaining. Add it to the mixture being cooked.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and cook the mixture
for 5-15 minutes, stirring constantly. Lower the heat a little if
it spatters too much. Cook until the mixture becomes very thick, so that
it draws away from the sides of the dish. (This cooking brings out the
flavors of the spices.)
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Add 3/4 c. of water to the mixture being cooked and
stir until smooth. Add the browned pork pieces along with any liquid which
may have accumulated. Stir thoroughly and bring to a boil (bubbling).
- Cover the dish and place it in the oven for 45 minutes.
- After the pork has cooked, remove it from the oven and
let it cool. There is no need to refrigerate the dish when it is being
served the same day.
To
serve: Stir the curry, and reheat it (covered) in a 350° oven for 20
minutes (along with the eggplant curry). Serve the pork in an attractive warmed
serving dish or mound it on a platter.