Sunday, August 10, 2008
Food, Recipes
Orient express
Pork vindaloo at Spice Market
Photo/TRG
Being that I’ve had some previous experience with creating Asian-inspired dishes at restaurants in Bermuda and California, I’ve managed to take some interesting ideas and ingredients and pair them to make delectable dishes that are both unique and simple. The pork vindaloo is no exception to this rule as we combine different tastes to get something extraordinary. One of the most important ingredients for the vindaloo is the red finger chili. It’s crucial to buy the best quality finger chilies. These are hard to find, but the best place to find them is at Oriental Food Mart on Buford Highway. To add that unexpected spice to the vindaloo, I use a little ginger. The ginger, like the chilies, must look fresh, with no wood-colored blemishes.
When it comes to getting the key ingredients for the pork vindaloo and our other dishes at Spice Market, I don’t discriminate. It’s always important not to limit your shopping to one store, market or brand. Since we specialize in natural ingredients, I’ve learned to shop around for the most natural and healthy brands at various venues. My favorite choice for the pork in this dish is an all-natural kurabuto pork, from Berkshire stock. We also use Niman Ranch. When it comes to the red wine vinegar, any will do, as long as it’s of good quality and French. I prefer to buy my spices online from Penzeys. They are great and offer some of the freshest I’ve seen.
Since the pork vindaloo is a fairly simple dish to prepare, I like to put my own twist to how it’s prepared. I prefer to braise the whole dish in a 225-degrees F oven, covered with a lid. I don’t rush this process in order to allow adequate time for the meat to tenderize. Also, to ensure that maximum flavor is dispersed throughout the dish, I like to fry all of the herbs in a 300-degrees F fryer.
The pork vindaloo is a dream to make because of its simplicity and the fact that it’s consistently very tasty. I, along with Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, thrive off reinventing these types of Southeast Asian street food. Flavorful dishes like pork vindaloo invigorate my passion for Asian cuisine and the essence of cooking with various spices altogether. SP
Ian Winslade is the chef de cuisine at Spice Market in W Atlanta Midtown. 188 14th St. NE 404-549-5450. www.spicemarketatlanta.com.
PORK VINDALOO (Serves 8)
Ingredients:
Marinade
½ ounce garlic
3 ounces ginger, chopped
4 ounces red finger chile, sliced
9 ounces red wine vinegar
¾ ounce cumin, finely grounded
¾ ounce paprika
½ ounce black pepper, finely grounded
Pork Vindaloo
2.2 pounds Niman Ranch Pork Butt, cut in 1 ½” square
3 ½ ounces Spanish onions, sliced
5 green cardamom
6 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
Garlic Chips
Garlic, cut on mandolin
Garnish
- ¼ ounces jicama, julienne
- 12 Thai basil leaves, fried, salted
- 1 red finger chili, sliced
- 1 leek, rondelles
- 12 cilantro leaves, fried, salted
- 8 curry leaves, fried, salted
Instructions:
Blend all marinade ingredients to a wet paste, and marinate pork for at least 1 hour. Bloom spices in oil until fragrant. Add diced onions, and sweat without color. Once the onions are translucent, add the pork and the marinade into a rondeau and cook for about 1 ½ hours or until the meat is very tender. Season with salt and sugar half way through cooking. Cool and portion, removing the cardamom, cloves and the cinnamon. Place garlic in pot with cold water and bring to boil. Strain and repeat twice. Drain on paper towels. Fry in deep fat fryer until golden. Drain on paper towels and lightly salt. Heat vindaloo in microwave, and garnish with leeks, jicama and chilis, then finish with fried garnish.