Monday, March 1, 2010

Pork Vindaloo

This recipe is from the Cooking Light 2009 Recipes book. I’ve adjusted it a bit. But, for the most part stayed pretty true to the original recipe. If you prefer chicken, you could substitute chicken thighs for the pork. Serve this piquant dish over steaming basmati rice. Indian food in a flash!

Ingredients:

1 Tbls. Olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 pkg of pork tenderloin, cut into 1” chunks (there are usually 2 tenderloins in a pkg. Use about 2 – 2 ½ lbs of meat)
2 tsp garam masala**
2 tsp garlic powder
1 ½ tsp mustard seeds
1 Tbls jarred ground fresh ginger (not the powder, this is fresh ginger already prepared)
¾ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ c chicken broth
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
3 Tbls chopped fresh cilantro
1 ½ Tbls corn starch
2 Tbls red wine vinegar

** *Garam masala can be made fresh, or can be purchased from an Indian grocer. It contains many spices and is usually added about 15 – 20 minutes before cooking is finished. Click here to view one recipe that I found on the internet. However, for convenience sake, I have always purchased the ready-made garam masala.

Directions:
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to the pan; sauté until translucent. Combine pork and the next five ingredients in a large bowl. Toss well to coat pork with the spices. Add pork to the pan and sauté for 5 – 7 minutes.

Add broth to the pan, scraping bottom of pan to loosen browned bits. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Mix the cornstarch and vinegar together in a small bowl. Add the cilantro and vinegar mixture to the pan. Continue cooking just a couple of minutes more for the sauce to thicken. Be careful not to cook to long. The pork tenderloin is very tender and cooks quickly. If you over cook, your pork will not be as tender and could end up being tough.

Serve over steaming rice – I would recommend basmati.