Thanks so much for your thoughts, wishes and patience while I have been away. It was hard to say a final farewell to mum, my hubby’s mommy and fellow passionate foodie.
She was a great lady - founder of the Peru Children’s Trust, mother of three crazy boys and devoted Christian. Also very funny.
My memories of her will always make me giggle. The times she taught and me how to cut veggies properly so her little boy got his nutrients, her brave attempts to teach me proper English dishes like crumbles and pies and most of all, the kitchen banter that accompanied it all.
There was this one time she noticed the abyssmal absence of jacket potatoes from my cooking repertoire:
Mum: “Do you know what a jacket potato is?”
Me: “Yes, but I don’t know how to make it.”
Mum: “But they are delicious and very healthy.”
Me: “What’s a jacket potato when I can have a vindaloo?”
Mum: “True.”
So, I have vowed to cook more English food and make sure my future daughter-in-laws are indoctrinated fully in the cuisine too. But in her memory, here’s a pork vindaloo. Delicious, with or without the jacket potato.
This recipe serves 2-3:
500 gms boneless pork, diced into large chunks
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
Half tsp turmeric powder
Half tsp garam masala powder
1 bay leaf
Half tsp sugar
Salt to taste
3 tbsp oil
Grind into paste:
4 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
Half tsp mustard seeds
Half tsp fenugreek seeds
3-5 dry whole red chillies (as much as you can stomach)
2 cardamoms
2 cloves
2 whole black peppercorns
Quarter cup white vinegar
Mix the pork with the paste and leave to marinade overnight or for as long as possible. Heat the oil and when hot, add the sugar and the bay leaf. When the sugar caramelises, add the onions and fry on a high heat stirring constantly until they turn brown (about 10 minutes).
Now add the turmeric and the pork with its marinade. Fry on a high heat until the pork is sealed evenly. Lower the flame to a medium heat, cover the pot and boil gently until the pork is tender and the onions are melted into a thick gravy. The pork shouldcook in its juices - only add water if the meat is getting stuckto the bottom of the pot.
Mix in the garam masala and serve hot, with rotis. This dish should be dry, sweet, sour and very spicy.
16 Comments
so sorry to know about ur MIL mallika… she indeed was a gr8 lady who not only loved her own kids but also others by being the founder of Peru Children’s Trust … thats a little sweet story of jacket potato
even i dont know to cook jacket potato but i have made up my mind to learn some authentic english food when i am here. there is so many things to learn.
My condolences Mallika.I guessed as much when you had to rush out to Peru like that.Sounds like she was a great lady:)
I have to Vindaloo,looks great there.I think Jacket potatoes are similar to double baked potatoes we have here,not sure.
Hugs to you buddy.
Mallika, I’m sorry to hear about your mum. She sounds lovely and that was a really nice memory of her.
So sorry to hear your news. But I’m glad you’re back. And don’t make too many baked potatoes, I know how to do those, and I’d miss all your quick indian dishes which are such an adventure for us here!
Joanna
joannasfood.blogspot.com
so sorry to hear about your mum… sounds like a wonderful person. the story about the jacket potato made me smile!
I am so very sorry for your loss. Your Mum sounds like a lovely lady.
Thank you for the recipe for vindaloo. It’s one of my favorite dishes. I just made one a week ago.
I really enjoy reading your blog.
im here with tanya, andy and rupali and we’ ve just eaten home made indian. the only thing i can make is roti, u make lots of other things! hope i can taste it soon! i like jacket potatoes too ( i can make them)!
Mallika, I came here to let you know that your posts are being copied by another site: http://blogosphere.snehah.com under their category Recipes. I saw this post and realized that you are going through a deep personal loss. I am really sorry and my heart goes out to you and your husband. Losing a dear one is life’s worst nightmare. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
I forgot to mention that I dropped a few comments asking them to remove my content immediately. They did so almost immediately.
I am sorry to hear of the loss of a very important person in your life. I hope you and your husband are coping well. my heart goes out to you and your family.
Thanks so much guys. I have to say, it’s GREAT to be back.
Manisha - I can’t thank you enough for telling me about the site. The cheek of it!! She seems to have removed the link to recipes completely.
Hugs and condolences dear. And thanks for this one, it is like soooo bookmarked!
Sorry about the bad news. This is really what happens when a close person goes, the memories remain and keep us occupied.
My condolences Mallika and my prayers are with you and your family. Am really Sorry to hear the bad news. When you said “Off to Peru…” never imagined it would be something like this.
The warmth that home cooked food brings in such occasions is very comforting. How is the hubby ?
Sorry to hear about your loss Mallika. My heartfelt condolences to the both of you and your memories with her brought a smile!
Glad to know that there are other girls like me who call their mother in law - just ‘MUM’!
looks good, I just made a different version of this recently, very tasty!