When I ponder something new to fix for dinner, I can’t say that I ever think about choosing Malaysian food! I don’t know that I’ve ever had Malaysian food, for that matter, until now!
I’d defrosted some pork – one of the few remaining packages from the 4-H Berkshire pig we bought over a year ago. I still have some bacon and ham and that’s about it. Even though the package said it was country ribs, it was a very small package, so I decided to spread out the pork wealth by making something like stew. As is my usual method, I went to Eat Your Books, where I have listed nearly all of my cookbooks. I put in “pork stew” and within seconds I had a list of the dozens and dozens of recipes contained in my own cookbooks. Well no, it doesn’t really have the recipes, it just has the title and the list of ingredients (by name, not quantity), which makes it quite simple to deduce if I have the ingredients on hand. In this particular recipe, yes, I had the pork, coconut milk, onions, white wine, ginger, tomatoes, fresh mint and cilantro. I didn’t have fresh basil, but I overlooked that one.
I just love that website – it makes finding a recipe so simple. Once I chose this recipe, I glanced at what cookbook – how funny – it’s from my mostly new-favorite book – The Essential New York Times Cookbook: Classic Recipes for a New Century
The cookbook version suggests Boston butt or pork shoulder. I assumed the cooking time wouldn’t be much different for the country ribs. It also has you make it all on the stovetop, whereas I had decided to use the pressure cooker, which worked like a charm. The preparation is the same – it’s just the difference of the cooking time (10 minutes by pressure cooker, and about 60-90 minutes on the stovetop).
The pork stew chunks are dredged in a spicy mixture of curry powder, cumin and paprika. I had a hot curry powder, so I didn’t add cayenne as listed in the recipe. (Although, I couldn’t really discern any heat in the finished dish, so it was more mild than anticipated.) They were browned well in oil, removed, then I sautéed the onions (it called for red, I only had a yellow one). Then you add in all the other ingredients, including garlic and simmer. That’s when I put on the lid and pressure cooked it for 9 minutes. I had a bit of coconut milk left over (I made half of the recipe you see below) so I just added it in at the last, along with the fresh green beans. I simmered them just until they were barely cooked through. Because we limit white carbs, I only used about 2-3 T. of cooked rice in each bowl, ladled the soup around the outer rim (so we could see the rice), then sprinkled on the garnishes. The lime juice adds a really important taste element – be sure to add that part. I liked the flavor combination from the spices (paprika, cumin and curry). The garnish is a combo of fresh mint, fresh cilantro, basil (if you have it, I didn’t), peanuts (I didn’t have peanuts, but I did have sliced almonds so I chopped those up) and lime juice. That garnish adds a wonderful touch to the taste.
What’s good: just the overall flavor of the gravy or soup part – it’s loaded with taste. The pork was nicely cooked, although not overly so. It might have been able to take another minute or two in the pressure cooker. I’m sure this could be made the day ahead, even. Just make the garnishes at the last minute. And the left overs – they were wonderful.
What’s not: nothing, really.
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Malaysian-Inspired Pork Stew with Traditional Garnishes
Recipe By: Adapted a little from The Essential New York Times Cookbook (Hesser), but it’s originally from Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby
Serving Size: 6
NOTES: The original recipe called for pork shoulder or Boston butt. I used country style ribs because that’s what I had on hand. The green beans are my addition, although they were suggested as an accompaniment to the meal, so I decided to just add them into the stew itself. I served this with rice (but a very small amount). I served it more as a soup than a plated main dish. It’s certainly up to you. I liked the gravy – it was slightly thickened – if you want it more thick, simmer the mixture longer before adding in the green beans.
2 tablespoons curry powder [I used a medium-heat version]
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper — or to taste [I omitted because the curry powder had heat]
2 pounds pork country-style ribs — boneless, cut into 1-inch cubes, trimmed of excess fat [or pork shoulder]
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 tablespoon olive oil
2 whole red onions — thinly sliced [I used yellow]
3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 plum tomatoes — cored and cut into small dice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/4 cups light coconut milk — [original used full-fat coconut milk]
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups green beans — chopped in 1-inch pieces [optional]
GARNISHES:
1/4 cup basil — roughly chopped
1/4 cup cilantro — chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint — minced
1/3 cup peanuts — roasted, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Dashes of Tabasco sauce to taste
Cooked rice to accompany the stew
1. Combine the curry powder, cumin, paprika, and cayenne in a large bowl. Dry the pork cubes with paper towels, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss with the spice mix to coat.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a 5-inch-deep Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the pork and brown well on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter, and discard the oil in the pot.
3. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté, until golden brown, 11 to 13 minutes. When you’re browning the pork and onions, make sure you scrape up the pan drippings so they don’t burn. Add the ginger, garlic and tomatoes and sauté for 2 minutes more. Return the meat to the pot, add the soy sauce, coconut milk, and wine, and bring to a simmer. Skim any film off the surface, then cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook gently until the meat is very tender, 1 to 1-1/2 hours. [I used a pressure cooker for 9 minutes.] Taste for seasonings, then add green beans and simmer on the stove top for 3-6 minutes until the green beans are JUST cooked through.
4. Combine the basil, mint, cilantro, peanuts, lime, Tabasco (if desired), and brown sugar in a small bowl and mix well. Place a generous helping of stew in each bowl, top with a couple tablespoons of garnish, and serve accompanied by rice. Alternately you can scoop rice into the center of a soup bowl, then gently spoon the stew around the mound and garnish it all.
Per Serving: 536 Calories; 38g Fat (65.4% calories from fat); 24g Protein; 21g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 71mg Cholesterol; 779mg Sodium.
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