Saturday, May 16, 2009

Pork Braised in Coconut Milk



While I was writing my last post a little while ago, I was also cooking up some late lunch/early dinner for myself on this fine Saturday afternoon. I had some cilantro that I bought at Organic Planet last week that needed using, so I decided to do something Southeast Asian. Since pork prices are rock bottom - this dish seemed perfect. I JUST ate it, and it was amazing.

Meat: Pork shoulder (2-3 lbs) cut into 2 inch pieces

Herb/Spice: coconut milk, a couple fresh hot chilies (Thai are preferable, but I had to go with jalapenos, because that is what I could get), a few cloves of garlic, salt and pepper, and nam pla (Asian fish sauce)

Garnish/Fixins: Chopped cilantro and green onions, some Sriracha or other hot sauce, a few lime wedges

What to do:

1. Brown off the pieces of pork in a large sauce pan, adding salt and pepper while doing so.

2. Add garlic and chilies and garlic (both minced), and stir for a minute or so.

3. Add a can of coconut milk and the equivalent of a can of water or some light stock (You can double up on the coconut milk if you want it even richer) and a couple tablespoons of nam pla.

4. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a lower heat and simmer for about 2 hours.

5. When the pork is tender, check the liquid - if it looks like a good "saucy" consistency, its good. If its a bit runny, reduce it a tad. If its a bit thick, add some more liquid!

6. Remove from the heat, stir in a handful of cilantro and green onion.

7. Serve, topped with more of the garnish, some hot sauce, a few squeezes of lime, and some sticky or jasmine rice!



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