Recipe: Asian Spiced Citrus Pork Chops

Picked up some lovely Pork Chops at this awesome Cold Storage Meat supplier (Icy Pik) that I've found in Ahmedabad. The chops weren't completely frozen yet, so I decided to marinate them immediately, even though I wasn't planning to cook them until 2 days later.

I'd just had guests over and there was some orange juice left in the tetrapak. We had, had pizza the previous night, so some of those toppings were leftover. So I just threw together some of these ingredients into the marinade and the chops tasted really good. They were so soft, they literally melted in our mouths.The husband and me finished almost a kilo of these chops in 1 sitting! - and he's not a "Meat" devourer like me :)

I hadn't originally planned to post this recipe on this blog, since it was thrown together with what was on hand, so I didnt take pictures until the finished product was smelling so good. 

The flavour in this marinade is subtle, so it may not work well on stronger flavoured meats like lamb or mutton, but you could use it for fish or chicken, adjusting quantities accordingly.

Ingredients:
1kg Pork Chops
1 - 1.5 cups orange juice (I used Tropicana - this doesn't have the bitter after taste or the pulp that American OJ does)
Juice of 1 lime (if the orange juice isn't sour, add a little more -remember Indian limes are small)
2 tsps oregano seasoning (salted one that comes as a pizza topping)
2 tsps red chilli flakes
1/2 tsp freshly crushed corriander seeds (don't substitute with corriander powder - its better to omit this ingredient than use powdered)
10-12 cloves garlic - finely chopped
2" ginger finely chopped
1 tsp black pepper freshly crushed
2 pinches of cinnamon powder
salt to taste
6-7 stalks of corriander leaves - finely chopped

Method:
Make a marinade with all the ingredients except the corriander leaves and the chops.
Marinate the chops in the mixture overnight (I marinated them for 2 days)
Bring to room temperature before cooking.
Add the corriander leaves and mix well.
Pan fry, roast, grill or Barbecue the chops on both sides until done.

Serve with a side of salad or pasta and with plenty of napkins, because you won't be able to resist picking the bones clean.

Kim's tip:
I think I'll add a bit of star anise to the marinade next time as that flavour would combine well with these too

Recipe: Healthily Twisted Fish Meunière

A friend who came over for lunch today is currently eating extremely healthily and running marathons, so I planned a light healthy summery menu : A healthy twist on the Fish Meuniere, Roasted Chicken with Duxelles Stuffing, Pasta in a Chargrilled Red Pepper Sauce and Stir Fried Sesame Veggies. Dessert was freshly cut chilled Mangoes. The Badamis that I found in the market were quite tasty and sweet (or so the hubby said - I'm not a fruit person & I only eat raw mangoes not ripe ones)

The fish that I cooked today was a mix of inspirations from a classic Meuniere (Fish dredged in flour and fried - served with a butter, lemon and parsley sauce - French Origin - Meunière=Millers Wife) and a Gremolata (Parsley + Garlic + Lemon - Italian/Milanese in origin) I did change the entire methodology of these classics, but the inspiration came from both these flavour combinations and it worked very well.

Its quick to prep and also to cook. If you use frozen fish, it will take a little longer to cook, because the fish will let out water, but exercise a little patience, it will be worth it.

Ingredients:
750 gms of Firm White Fish - I used Basa Fillets - Clean & Dry

1 tsp olive oil (since Basa is a non fatty fish)
Zest and juice of 2 small limes (Indian limes are really tiny - smaller than a table tennis ball - so adjust to taste)
handful of parsely leaves - chopped fine
5-6 garlic cloves - chopped fine (I didn't chop mine too fine, because we like the taste of fried garlic)
salt to taste
a dash of freshly ground pepper - to season

Method:
Lightly pound together the parsley, garlic, salt and pepper.
Make an emulsion with the olive oil, lemon juice and grated zest

Marinate the fish in this (I left it overnight, but 15-30 minutes should be good too)

Fry gently on both sides in a hot pan and serve hot.
There is no need to add any oil in the pan, since there is oil in the marinade.
How long you fry each side depends on the thickness of your fish slices.
Watch the colour and texture of the fish in the pan - it is the best indication of  whether it is ready to be served or not.

I served this as an appetiser today and so I cut the fish into smaller pieces. You can slice a fillet in half and serve it as a main course too.

Kim's tips:
If you want to serve a sauce with the fish - add a little butter to the pan you fried the fish in, just before it turns brown, add some parsley and lemon juice and take it off the fire. Serve as a dressing with the fish.

Next Time I make this, I'm going to add some capers to the marinade too. I think the sharp salty flavours of capers will go excellently with this dish.

And this is what today's lunch looked like.

Pasta in a chargrilled red pepper sauce
Roasted Chicken with Duxelle stuffing
Healthily twisted fish meuniere
Stir fried sesame veggies