Pork Chops à la Jaffrey
I apologise for this name. The dish is really my very own concoction and unlikely to be served in any Indian home other than mine. Indians almost never use celery in their cooking. Nor do they often use soy sauce, though I must say that in the major cities the influence of an overcooked version of Chinese cuisine is certainly making itself felt. This recipe acknowledges its debt to that cuisine, but tastes, in the last analysis, rather Indian.
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops loin or rib
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 hot dried red pepper optional
- 8 whole cloves
- 1 large stick celery diced
- 1 medium-sized onion coarsely chopped
- 1 piece fresh ginger 2.5cm (1in) long and 1cm (½in) wide, sliced into 3 rounds
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- teaspoon ground cinnamon
- teaspoon ground mace
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- ½ lemon
Instructions
- Step One Try to get pork chops that are evenly cut, so that they may brown evenly. Pat the chops dry and trim all but 0.5cm (¼in) of the fat. Place them in a large frying pan and turn heat on high. The chops should brown in their own fat. When they are a golden colour on both sides (press down areas that refuse to touch the frying pan), remove them from the frying pan and place in a bowl or on a plate. Turn off the heat and pour off only the accumulated fat in the frying pan.
- Step Two Heat the vegetable oil along with the coagulated juices in the same frying pan over a medium heat, and put in the bay leaves, red pepper and cloves. Stir. When the bay leaves change colour (this should take a few seconds) add the celery, onion, ginger and garlic. Stirring, fry over medium flame for 4–5 minutes or until everything is slightly browned. Add the browned pork chops, cinnamon, mace, soy sauce, sugar and 50ml (2fl oz) water. Cut the lemon into 4 round slices (skin and all – remove any pips, though) and place over the chops. Bring to the boil. Cover, lower the heat, and simmer gently 50 minutes to 1 hour or until tender. Turn and mix gently every 10 to 15 minutes.
- Step Three To serve, place the contents of the frying pan on a platter and serve with Plain Basmati Rice and a green salad. A natural yoghurt type of relish would be a good side dish. If you like, you can remove the pieces of ginger and garlic before you serve.
