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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (March 7, 2016)
RECIPE March 7, 2016 THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 13 Slow cookers bring out the best in pork and Indian flavors By Meera Sodha The Associated Press here’s a real joy in slowing down in the kitchen. Gone is the frantic stress of trying to get dinner on the table in an instant and in its place comes a different type of gentle cooking. It allows beautiful smells to waft through the house and ingredients to mingle and develop over time into something deep, rich, and flavorful. Of all slow-cooked dishes, Goan pork vindaloo is my favorite. Originally a Portuguese stew made with meat, garlic, and wine, the dish made its way to India in the 1500s with Portuguese explorers. Like so many other dishes, it then was reinterpreted. Today, vindaloo curry is a sweet, hot, and sour dish popular all over the world. Though the modern recipe, like the original dish, still uses garlic and wine vinegar, it has changed to include chilies and lots of warming spices, such as cinnamon, cumin, and cloves. I like to use a cheaper and fattier cut of meat, such as pork shoulder, which responds well to a slow braise and shows its true colors after a few hours to become the best type of pork — succulent, sweet, and soft. Whatever happens, rest assured that there are no wrong moves with slow cooking. It’s one of the only T PERFECT PORK. Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder Vindaloo, a recipe by Meera Sodha, is seen in Concord, New Hampshire. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead) mediums of cooking that creates a level playing field between the pro chef and the amateur. It gives you the flexibility to sample and adjust as you go until it tastes just right. The only trouble is that after several hours of cooking, it will only take a few minutes to eat. Editor’s note: Meera Sodha is an Indian foods expert and author of Made in India: Recipes from an Indian Family Kitchen. She currently lives in London. Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder Vindaloo Start to finish: 3 1/2 to 5 1/2 hours (1/2 hour active) Servings: 4 4 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil, divided 20 black peppercorns 1 star anise 3-inch cinnamon stick 6 whole cloves 2 teaspoons cumin seeds 6 cloves garlic, crushed 1 1/2-inch chunk fresh ginger, grated (plus extra to serve) 2 teaspoons chili powder 5 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1 medium red onion, finely sliced 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon sugar 2 1/4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes Plain Greek-style yogurt, to serve Cooked basmati rice, to serve If you’re nervous about the amount of chili powder, halve the amount called for in the recipe. It will still be delicious. If your slow cooker doesn’t have a sauté setting, start the dish in a large sauté pan, then transfer to a slow cooker. Set the slow cooker to sauté mode. Add one tablespoon of the oil and heat until hot. Add the peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and cumin. Cook for two minutes, stirring constantly, until the peppercorns and cloves swell and are fragrant. Transfer the spices to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Grind until smooth, then add the garlic, ginger, and chili powder. Grind again, then transfer to a small bowl and stir in the vinegar. Set aside. Heat the remaining three tablespoons of oil in the slow cooker. When hot, add the onions and cook, stirring often, until brown and caramelized. Add the tomatoes and cook for five minutes. Add the spice paste, salt, and sugar. Stir well, then add the pork. Coat the pork with the paste then add just enough water to cover the meat. Stir well, then cover and cook for three hours on high or five hours on low, or until the meat is completely tender and straining to hold its shape. Wondering what events are going on this week? Check out The Asian Reporter’s Community and A.C.E. Calendar sections, on pages 10 and 12. How do you share health? At Health Share, we believe good health is more than what happens inside your doctor’s offi ce. Good health starts in your community and includes staying active, eating healthy food and getting regular check-ups. SEEKING THE CUP. Toronto FC acquired Tsubasa Endoh with the ninth overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft. Endoh, who was born in Tokyo, previously played for the University of Maryland Terrapins and Team Ja- pan’s junior teams. (Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via AP Images) Asian talent aids MLS teams now and in the future Continued from page 8 forward, has played for the University of Maryland Terrapins and Team Japan’s junior teams. With the Terrapins, Endoh scored 12 goals and notched 16 assists, earning offensive MVP honors in the Big Ten championship and reaching the 2013 NCAA final. In the scouting combine before the draft, Endoh was also named MVP, which explains his excellent draft position. Toronto’s scoring attack already includes U.S. men’s team star Michael Bradley, veteran French midfielder Benoit Cheyrou, and 2015 MLS MVP Sebastian Giovinco. Adding Endoh, who can play as a midfielder or forward, could help Toronto continue its rise. Last but not least, the Vancouver Whitecaps recently signed Japanese striker Masato Kudo. The 25-year-old Kudo has played six seasons with Kashiwa Reysol, a team in Japan’s J1 League. Despite his youth, he is Kashiwa’s all-time leading scorer, with 92 goals in 260 appearances, and he helped the team win the 2011 J1 League champion- ship and the 2013 J. League Cup. In addition, Kudo has two goals in four appearances for the Japanese national team. Able to score with either foot, Kudo brings an appealing versatility to a Vancouver squad that scored in the middle of the pack in 2015 among MLS teams and ranked near the bottom in assists. With the MLS growing to 24 teams by 2020, making it the largest top-flight soccer league in the world, teams will find themselves looking increasingly to the east to fill their squads. Then, the quantity will certainly rise to match the quality of Asian MLS talent. Think you’re an organ and tissue donor? Not if you haven’t told your family. Share your healthy habits with family and friends. We can all have better health when we share it together. Talk to your family about organ and tissue donation. Talk to your family about donating life. For a free donor card brochure, contact: www.healthshareoregon.org Donate Life Northwest (503) 494-7888 1-800-452-1369 www.donatelifenw.org Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization
