Goan Pork Vindaloo

by Trisha Vaz
A good Pork Vindaloo is a must-have at any gathering, party or special occasion in most Goan households. Today, I’m sharing a much loved recipe in our family – my father’s Pork Vindaloo. It is such a simple recipe, but results in such a spectacular curry. You are going to enjoy this one. It is perfect to serve around the Holiday season, because this can be made a day or two in advance. In fact, the flavors are even better if it is served a day after it is made. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.

GoanPorkVindaloo
Goan Pork Vindaloo

 

Goan Pork Vindaloo
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Goan Pork Vindaloo

Course: MainCuisine: Goan, IndianDifficulty: Medium
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking time

1

hour 

Goan Pork Vindaloo is a vibrant, flavorful pork curry that is spicy, tangy and so moorish, it will have you coming back for more.

Ingredients

  • 1 kilo boneless pork (pick a slightly fatty cut)

  • 1-2 tbsp oil

  • 1 – 1 1/2 onion, finely chopped

  • Salt, to taste

  • Vinegar, to taste

  • 1 tsp sugar

  • For the masala –

  • 12 Kashmiri chillies, deseeded

  • 6 black peppercorns

  • 5 cloves

  • 3 green cardamom pods

  • 2″ cinnamon

  • 6-8 large garlic cloves

  • 1 1/2 inch ginger

  • Vinegar, to grind to a paste

Directions

  • Cut the pork into chunks and set aside.
  • Grind all the ingredients for the masala to a fine paste using vinegar. (Ideally Goan vinegar is used. If you don’t have access to it, malt vinegar or red wine vinegar will work well too.)
  • Heat some oil in a large pan. Saute the onions till they have softened and start caramelizing.
  • Add the masala and fry off well for a couple of minutes.
  • Add the pieces of pork and salt, to taste. Stir well to coat all the pieces with the masala and let the meat fry off for a few minutes.
  • Add enough water for the pork to cook through and achieve the consistency you want. I used about 2 cups of water. (You can add more water, if required, later on, when the meat is cooking.)
  • Cover and cook till the meat is tender.
  • Check for seasoning and adjust as required.
  • Add 1 tsp sugar to balance out all the flavors.
  • Serve hot. This Pork Vindaloo goes very well with some steamed rice, a Peas Pulao, some bread or sannas too.
    Enjoy!

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Remember to use a slightly fatty cut of pork. It adds a lot more flavour.
  • Cooking time will depend on the cut of pork being used and the size of the pieces that you’ve cut.
  • While this pork vindaloo can be served straightaway, it is best cooked a day or two before you need to serve it. It helps the flavors develop and mature. Store refrigerated. If you’re making it a couple of days in advance, on the day after cooking it, bring to room temperature and heat thoroughly and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Cool down completely and store refrigerated.

Trisha Vaz

This post was posted in Goan Recipes, Mains, Pork, Recipes

Peri Peri Chicken Wings

by Trisha Vaz

Peri Peri Chicken Wings – a perfect , spicy dish to serve up at a party or game night, or even with a nice big salad for a quick weeknight meal. Either way, these are super delicious and while looking through the blog recently, I realized that I haven’t shared many chicken wings recipes here. So today, I’m going to rectify that. I bring you some spicy, delicious Peri Peri Chicken wings. These are made from scratch and bake off in the oven. So there’s very little hands-on time required for this recipe. All you have to do it put together a simple marinade paste and then work on a dip, a salad or anything else you’d like to serve these wings up with.

PeriPeriChickenWings
Peri Peri Chicken Wings
 

If you’re prepping your own chicken wings, split the wings and either set the tips aside for a stock or discard. I bought Marco’s Wing Nibbles from Woolworths that has this stage dealt with so you use the wings as is. 

This recipe couldn’t be any simpler. After prepping the wings, you simply wash them and pat them dry. Sprinkle with salt and use our beautiful homemade marinade. Peri Peri is known to be a spicy sauce / marinade and this one is. If you enjoy a good Peri Peri, but don’t want it too spicy, you could substitute some of the birdseye chillies with a milder pepper. That way you will still get the color and volume in the marinade but it won’t be too spicy. 

In our house, we love spicy food, so I’ve used birdseye chillies with the seeds and all. And can I tell you, these wings turned out so very delicious. It packs the perfect amount of kick for us and when you pair this with the homemade Blue Cheese Dip, it is absolutely divine. 

The Blue Cheese Dip has the perfect cooling affect to counter the spiciness of the wings. Let me tell you, once you taste this, you won’t be able to stop at one. But don’t just take my word for it. Go ahead and make these wings and try them out for yourself. 

So let’s take a look at the recipe now, shall we?
Peri Peri Chicken Wings
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Peri Peri Chicken Wings

Recipe by Trisha VazCourse: AppetizersDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

40

minutes
Calories

300

kcal
Marinade time

30

minutes

Peri Peri Chicken Wings – a perfect , spicy dish to serve up at a party or game night, or even with a nice big salad for a quick weeknight meal.

Ingredients

  • 1 kilo chicken wings (split the wings and either set the tips aside for a stock or discard. I bought Marco’s Wing Nibbles from Woolworths that has this stage dealt with so you use the wings as is.)

  • Salt, to taste

  • Chopped parsley, to garnish

  • For the marinade –

  • 8 birdseye chillies

  • 4-6 large cloves of garlic

  • 1 tbsp. smoked paprika

  • 1/2 tsp extra hot Cayenne Pepper

  • 1 tsp oregano

  • 1 tsp black pepper powder

  • Juice of 1/2 lemon or 1 lime

  • 1 – 2 tbsp vinegar

  • For the Blue Cheese Dip

  • 1/3 cup Greek yogurt

  • 1/4 – 1/3 cup of Blue Cheese crumbled

  • White pepper powder, to taste

  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions

  • The wings –
  • Grind all these marinade ingredients to a paste.
  • Wash the chicken and pat dry.
  • Season with salt.
  • Pour the marinade over the chicken and toss to coat the chicken pieces well. Set aside to marinade for about 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
  • Lightly grease a baking dish. Place the chicken wings in a single layer.
  • Bake for about 30-40 minutes or till cooked through, flipping them over about halfway through the the cooking process.
  • Garnish with some chopped parsley.
  • Blue Cheese Dip
  • Mix all the ingredients together. Serve up.

Recipe Video

Trisha Vaz

This post was posted in Recipes, Starters / Appetizers

The Perfect Caramel Popcorn

by Trisha Vaz
Who’s up for some popcorn? And not just any ordinary packet of store-bought popcorn, but an amazing Homemade Caramel Popcorn. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, popcorn is one of my favorite snacks. In the past, I’ve used those microwavable packets too, but ever since I learned how to pop my own corn at home, I just make it from scratch. It is so easy and so much more economical than the store bought bags. Not to mention, that you’re saving on all that unnecessary packaging too.
 
I’ve tried so many variants of flavoring while experimenting at home. Some savory and some sweet. Today, I’m going to share with you my favorite version of Caramel popcorn. The corn takes a couple of minutes to pop, the caramel sauce comes together in a few minutes, then all you do is toss everything together and leave it to cool down and set for a few minutes. 
 
What you get is the most amazing crunchy popcorn, seasoned lightly with a little salt, to taste, covered in the most beautiful caramel sauce. Is there anything else you could want in a snack? Yes, this is a slightly indulgent snack, but we all deserve a treat every once in a while, don’t you think so?
 
Let’s have a look at the recipe.
 
 
 
The Perfect Caramel Popcorn
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The Perfect Caramel Popcorn

Recipe by Trisha VazCourse: SnacksCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

2

servings
Cooking time

10

minutes

Slightly salty and slightly sweet, this caramel popcorn is perfect for movie night. If you’re looking for something sweet for a fall gathering or even Halloween, pack some of this up and you’ll be good to go.

Ingredients

  • For the popcorn –

  • 1 1/2 – 2 tbsp cooking oil, any unflavored oil will do

  • 1/4  cup popping corn

  • Salt, to taste

  • For the sauce – 

  • 1 tbsp butter

  • 1/2 cup sugar (finegrain / caster sugar works best)

  • 1/8 tsp baking soda

Directions

  • To make the popcorn –
  • Heat a large, heavy bottomed vessel. Add the oil and let it heat up. 
  • Add 2-3 corn kernels and let them pop. This is when the oil is at the right temperature. At this stage, add the rest of the corn to the vessel along with the salt. Put a lid on and leave very slightly ajar. 
  • Swirl the pan around every now and then. 
     
    When the popping slows down and almost stops, take the vessel off the heat.
  • To make the caramel sauce – 
  • Heat a small saucepan over some medium heat. 
  • Add the butter and sugar to the pan and let it all melt down, stirring every now and then.
     
    Once it melts, watch the pot carefully as the sugar will turn colour very quickly and could burn. 
  • When you’ve reached a nice caramel color, immediately take it off the heat and add the baking soda and stir thoroughly.
  • Quickly pour it over the popped corn and stir through to coat the popcorn with the sauce. 
  • Turn the popcorn out on a lightly greased baking tray and leave it to cool and set. 
     
    Enjoy!

Recipe Video

Trisha Vaz

This post was posted in Recipes, Snacks

Spinach, Feta and Ricotta Rolls

by Trisha Vaz
Back when I was working at my last job, a colleague, who happened to be my work bestie, introduced me to this treat. We’d take our breaks together whenever we could and hop over to Muffin Break. Our Muffin Break outlet made the best Spinach and Feta Rolls (sidenote – their Bran muffins were to die for). But I’d never noticed these little beauties before this. I was on a first name basis with its Non-vegetarian counterpart – the sausage roll. I’ve had quite a few of those. But on this particular day, when we went over to Muffin Break, she ordered a Spinach and Feta Roll to go with her coffee. Needless, to say, I was intrigued. So I ordered one for myself too. And the rest, as they say, is history.
 
From that day on, if I ever need to grab a bite and am in the mood for something savoury, I pick up one of their Spinach and Feta Rolls. They are seriously good. And, I like to think that I’m getting a little extra Spinach in my diet that day.
 
 

So getting back to yesterday. When I found myself with a big basket of Ricotta cheese and a bag of Spinach I needed to use up, I decided to see if I could use the two together and come up with something delicious. After a little looking around, I found just the thing. I’ve based my rolls on a similar recipe I found online and I just switched it up to my liking. This time around, I used store bought Puff pastry. I had a packet in the freezer that I wanted to use up too. This recipe has just 2 basic components – the pastry and the filling. The filling is really easy to put together. You just mix up all the ingredients and your ready to go. The verdict – These rolls are really good. They’re not exactly like the Muffin Break ones. I am now convinced that there is some flour added to their filling, possibly to bulk it up. But these homemade rolls can give them a serious run for their money. And this time, I know for sure that there’s a heap of spinach in there. And everyone knows that Spinach with Ricotta and Feta is a match made in heaven. So let’s have a look at these Spinach Rolls, shall we?

 

Spinach, Feta and Ricotta Rolls
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Spinach, Feta and Ricotta Rolls

Recipe by Trisha VazCourse: SnacksDifficulty: Easy
Servings

18

servings
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking time

30

minutes

Full of the goodness of spinach and two different types of cheese, these rolls are a great lunchbox snack and also work pretty well as a tea-time snack.

Ingredients

  • 3 sheets Pampas all butter Puff pastry

  • 200g Feta Cheese

  • 300g Ricotta Cheese

  • 150g Baby Spinach, finely chopped

  • Red Chilli Flakes, to taste

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

  • 1 egg

  • Black sesame seeds, to sprinkle over

Directions

  • Preheat your oven to 180ºC. Place the baking tray in the oven.
  • Thaw 3 sheets of puff pastry. The pastry should be soft enough to work with but still cold. If it warms up too much, it gets sticky and difficult to work with.
  • Crumble the feta into a bowl.
  • Now add the Ricotta and crumble that in as well.
  • Add crushed black pepper to taste.
  • Taste the mix and add more salt if you want. I didn’t need to add any salt at this stage.
  • Add the spinach and red chili flakes. Mix well.
  • Crack the egg into a small bowl. Whisk and keep aside.
  • Working with one sheet at a time, cut the sheet in half.
  • Spoon the mix to form a long log in the center of each half of the pastry (lengthwise).
  • Brush one side (along the length) of each half of the sheet with the whisked egg.
  • Roll the other side of pastry over the spinach into a tight log. The egg will help seal the pastry.
  • Cut each roll into 3 pieces. (Alternatively, you can cut the pieces into the size you’d like.)
  • Place the rolls on greaseproof paper, seam side down. Repeat with the rest of the pastry.
  • Carefully place the paper onto the heated tray.
  • Brush the tops of the rolls with the whisked egg (egg wash).
  • Crack some black pepper on the top of each roll and sprinkle some black sesame seeds on the rolls.
  • Bake for about 30 minutes or till golden brown in colour.

    Serve hot.

Trisha Vaz

This post was posted in Recipes, Snacks, Starters / Appetizers

Quick and Easy Treat for Easter – Chocolate Nests

by Trisha Vaz
I have kept my Easter prep for too late this year. I’m usually a lot more prepared than this. However, a minor accident had reduced my mobility this past week. I am on the mend but still not back to 100%. So I wanted to keep my treats quick and easy.

With that in mind I whipped up some Chocolate Nests. I love this recipe. It takes 3 ingredients and half and hour to make a batch. This is a very versatile recipe so you can make as big or small a batch, as you’d like. It is also a flexible recipe, so you can use the chocolate of your choice and mini eggs of your choosing too. So, if like me, you’ve left Easter prep for the last minute, try out this recipe. It is very popular with the little kids … and the big ones too.

Wish you and your loved ones a Happy and Holy Easter!

Chocolate Nests
Makes 8 Nests

100 grams Chocolate (I used Dark chocolate)
100 grams ready to serve Noodles
Mini Speckled Eggs

Chop up the chocolate roughly and melt using a double boiler. If you haven’t worked with a double boiler, watch the video linked below to see how you can use a simple saucepan and bowl to make one. (You can also melt the chocolate in a micowave using a microwave safe bowl and in 30 second increments.)

Toss the noodles into the chocolate and mix gently to coat the noodles in the chocolate completely.

Using a spoon and either a spatula or a butter knife, scoop out portions of the noodles onto a tray lined with baking paper. Shape to form rough circular shapes and make a little dip in the center of each nest.

Place the mini eggs in the dents created.

Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Serve.

You can watch the video recipe here –

Trisha Vaz

This post was posted in Cakes, Cookies & Desserts, Dessert, Recipes

Witches Broomsticks …. another savory Halloween treat

by Trisha Vaz
So continuing from my last Halloween post, here’s another quick and easy savory treat I put together for the same party. If you haven’t yet read that one, go check out the Monster Eye Crackers I posted about here.

If you’ve been around these parts before you know the most important part of food for me is taste. It helps if it is quick and easy to make and bonus points if it is cute and quirky too. This little treat ticks all those boxes. I found this one in quite a few places on the internet and decided that I had to try them out. They are perfect to make for a Halloween themed party. I will admit that the cheese stringers were a little fiddle to begin with, but eventually things started moving along much faster. And, considering there was zero cooking involved, I still give this little snack a thumbs up. Kids will love the novelty of these ‘Witches Broomsticks’. I made these to serve at an office party and the adults couldn’t keep their hands of them either.

These snacks also use only 3 ingredients – pretzel sticks, cheese stringers and fresh chives. There is not much of a process involved either, so let’s get straight to the instructions.

I hope you make these savory treats this Halloween and enjoy them as much as we did.

Witches Broomsticks


Pretzel sticks
Cheese stringers
Fresh Chives

Start with the cheese. Cut the cheese stringer sticks into about 1 inch pieces or one thirds.

For each of these pieces, cut up or pull apart two thirds of the length of it to make the bristly edge of the broomsticks.

Now simply pierce the uncut end with a pretzel stick.

Finish them off but tying with a piece of fresh chives.

Serve up.

What treats are you planning for this Halloween??? 

Trisha Vaz

This post was posted in Recipes, Snacks, Starters / Appetizers

‘Monster Eye’ Crackers – a perfect savory option for Halloween

by Trisha Vaz
** This post contains affiliate links.

Around this time of the year, especially if you partake in the Halloween festivities, you will find yourself inundated with candy and other sweet treats and bakes. In a nutshell, a sugar overload. While I love my cakes and sweets / candy as much as the next guy or gal, if you are like me, you will need a little bit of savory to cut through all that sweetness.

Last year, I was really excited about Halloween. We were supposed to have a big Halloween party at my workplace. However, as luck would have it I quit that job in early October to focus on building up a little business. When my colleagues threw me a small farewell party, they decided to roll with the Halloween theme. I couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to whip up a few treats. These little cracker bites were one of them. I will share the rest of them with you over the next few days. My job was extremely physically demanding and boasted quite a few really long days. So I had to come up with treats that were quick and easy to put together. I knew the candy part of the party would be taken care of, so I stuck with the savories.

These Monster Eye crackers are perfect for a party or get together. They are a Halloween Play on cheese and crackers. They can be whipped up really quickly with all of 3 ingredients. So, I knew I was going to make them. I was a little skeptical about them considering how simple they are, but let me tell you, they vanished really quickly. I wish I had made more. If you decide on making these, make sure you make a big batch. So to make these, all you need are crackers. I love the Eton crackers found in Aldi stores locally, but if you cannot get your hands on them, Ritz Crackers will work just as well. You can use any other crackers you’d like. Now that the crackers are sorted, the next ingredient is the cheese. I used Kraft Cheese Slices, but again, you can use any cheese slices you like. The last ingredient you need are olives. You can use Pitted Kalamata olives or pitted Green olives, if you prefer.

The process is fairly simply, and works fastest if you create an assemble line. I hope you enjoy these little snacks this Halloween as much as we did.

Monster Eye Crackers


Eton crackers (You can also use Ritz Crackers)
Kraft Cheese Slices
Pitted Kalamata olives

You will also need a circle cookie cutter, just a little smaller than the size of the crackers you choose to use.

Cut the cheese slices into circles using the cookie cutter and keep aside.

Cut the pitted olives in half and keep aside.

On a serving platter, place the crackers in a single layer.

Top the crackers with a circle of cheese and top that with half an olive.

And that’s basically it. Serve up.

Enjoy!!!

Trisha Vaz

This post was posted in Recipes, Snacks, Starters / Appetizers

Beef Cutlets

by Trisha Vaz
This is another treat, thats really tasty, very moreish and can be served as a side at a meal or coupled with some homemade fries or mashed potatoes and a salad, is a meal in itself. Whenever I make these, I always like having a few extra, which I simply refrigerate and keep for another day. It stays good for about 3-4 days, it may last longer, but we always manage to finish it off by then. You simply bring it to room temperature and heat it in a skillet, covered, and you’re good to go.

P.S. I won’t be posting for the next few days, since I’m headed out of town for a week. See you when I get back. I have so many recipes lined up to share with you guys, I can’t wait to get those posted. So make sure you come back. 🙂

Beef Cutlets
(Makes about 10 depending on size)

250g ground beef (beef mince)
1 large or 2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2″ ginger, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
1 egg
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
1/4-1/3 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilly powder
Salt, to taste
2 slices of bread
Bread crumbs, to coat the cutlets
Vegetable oil, for frying

Soak the slices of bread in water for a few seconds, drain out all the liquid and crumble. Mix together all the ingredients except the bread crumbs and vegetable oil.

Make sure all the ingredients are well mixed and evenly distributed.

Shape into cutlets.

Coat with bread crumbs.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Carefully place the cutlets in the pan and let it cook on a medium heat till its done to your liking. Turn over and cook the other side as well.

Repeat till you’re done with the meat mix, adding more oil to the pan as and when you need to.

Serve hot with some fries and a salad, and some spicy tomato ketchup.

Enjoy!!!

This recipe is linked to –
What’s Cooking Thursdays
Full Plate Thursdays
Thrilling Thursday
It’s a Keeper Thursday

Trisha Vaz

This post was posted in Beef, Goan Recipes, Mains, Recipes, Sides, Starters / Appetizers

Coconut Coriander Chutney – Savory Sandwich Spread

by Trisha Vaz
A coconut coriander chutney is probably one of the humblest of all sandwich fillings. It has so many wonderful flavors that mingle to form one well balanced spread. There is absolutely no cooking involved, which is a welcome relief in these sweltering conditions. I’ve jotted down the quantities and the ingredients that I use for the chutney in this post, but you can play around with them to get the flavors you prefer. In India, theres probably hundreds if not thousands of recipes for this chutney. This is one my grandmother and mother used, but my husband tweaked and I’d dare say perfected it. Its not too spicy so even children can enjoy this, and believe me they do.

This chutney keeps very well. So you can make it ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to a week and use it as and when you need to.

Here’s a few options on what you can do with this spread –
1) Chutney sandwich – Spread it over some buttered slices of bread. I think it goes well with slightly toasted slices as well.

2) Chutney Cheese sandwich – Butter a slice of bread and spread some of the chutney over it. Top with a slice of cheese or grated cheese, whatever you have at hand. Cover this with another slice of bread.

3) Veggie Delight sandwich – Butter a slice of bread and spread some of the chutney over it. Place some slices of tomato and cucumber on it. Cover this with another slice of bread.

These are just a few sandwich combos to get you started. I’m sure you’ll come up with many more and I’d love to hear about them. And oh yes, how can I forget –

4) With rice – On days of fasting, my mum used to serve us this chutney with a small portion of warm, plain rice to get us through the day.

Check out how I make my Coconut & Coriander Chutney here –

Coconut Coriander Chutney


1 cup freshly grated coconut
1 large bunch of fresh coriander, leaves and tender stalks (About 1 tightly packed cup)
6 small cloves of garlic or 2 large cloves of garlic
3/4″ ginger
1 green/red chilly
1 tbsp sugar
1 walnut sized ball of tamarind, soaked in 1/4 cup water
Salt to taste

Tip all the ingredients except the coconut into a blender or food processor. Blitz to form a puree.

Add the coconut and blitz again. You can leave this spread as coarse or grind it as finely as you like. I like it ground fine but not too fine. You may need to add a dash of water to help the ingredients grind well.

Taste and adjust the flavors, if needed.

Store in a container, refrigerate for up to a week and use as and when needed.

This recipe is linked to –
Mouthwatering Mondays
A Little Birdie Told Me
Tuesdays At the Table
Tuesday Night Supper Club
Delectable Tuesday
Let’s Do Brunch

Trisha Vaz

This post was posted in Condiments, Pickles & Spice Mixes, Goan Recipes, Recipes, Sandwiches, Vegan