Cabbage Curry using rendered Pork Fat - Rongmei Naga Curryl!!
Today's recipe is a favorite curry of mine. Cabbage prepared the Rongmei way. Cabbage is such a versatile vegetable and super healthy too! I love it boiled, steamed, as a fresh salad, and the list goes on. It is no surprise that even my son loves cabbage curry.
In the traditional Rongmei style of cooking this lovely vegetable, we would use 2-3 tablespoons of Ganampui, which is rendered pork fat, fermented near the family hearth. This would be usually added as the Magic ingredient that binds the whole dish together. The intense taste of this melted fat may not be everyone's cup of tea, but once your taste buds are baptized and converted to its unique flavor, there is no looking back.
City life, however, does not allow me the luxury of preserving Ganampui, so the next best option is to simply render fresh pork fat and add a tablespoon or two of flavored pork lard. For me, any excuse to add pork in my dish, is always, a very good excuse!
To those of you who have been experimenting with Naga cuisine, i encourage you to try this non-veggie vegetable dish. And the rest of you guys, staying far away from home, missing home and the hearth, cook this up and feel a little closer to home. Thank you all for stopping by -- Have a great food filled weekend!!
Ingredients:
Pork Fat - 250 g
Flavored Lard - 1 Tbsp
Cabbage - 1/2 portion, diced
Onion - 1
Tomatoes - 3-4
Potatoes - 2-3 depending on size, diced
Salt - As per taste
Red Chilli Powder - 2 Tsp
Garlic - 5-6 cloves
Water - 5-6 Cups
Method:
Cut the pork fat into small pieces and keep aside.
Heat a cooking pot, make it super hot, then sear and melt the fat, keep the fat pieces aside.
Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil into the cooking pot and fry the onions, light saute, make sure not to caramelize it, else your entire dish will taste very onion-ie (is this even a word ?;)).
Then, add the cabbage and tomatoes, saute for 2-3 minutes, return the fat pieces to the pot, add salt and chilli powder and mix.
Now, add the potatoes and water, cook covered till the water comes to a rolling boil. Then, smash the garlic pods with the back of your knife and dump it into the curry. Cover and cook till potatoes are cooked.
Once the potatoes are soft, mash some of the pieces to thicken the gravy.
Sprinkle some chopped coriander and this curry is ready to be served with warm rice and a nice chutney. Enjoy!!
In the traditional Rongmei style of cooking this lovely vegetable, we would use 2-3 tablespoons of Ganampui, which is rendered pork fat, fermented near the family hearth. This would be usually added as the Magic ingredient that binds the whole dish together. The intense taste of this melted fat may not be everyone's cup of tea, but once your taste buds are baptized and converted to its unique flavor, there is no looking back.
City life, however, does not allow me the luxury of preserving Ganampui, so the next best option is to simply render fresh pork fat and add a tablespoon or two of flavored pork lard. For me, any excuse to add pork in my dish, is always, a very good excuse!
To those of you who have been experimenting with Naga cuisine, i encourage you to try this non-veggie vegetable dish. And the rest of you guys, staying far away from home, missing home and the hearth, cook this up and feel a little closer to home. Thank you all for stopping by -- Have a great food filled weekend!!
Ingredients:
Pork Fat - 250 g
Flavored Lard - 1 Tbsp
Cabbage - 1/2 portion, diced
Onion - 1
Tomatoes - 3-4
Potatoes - 2-3 depending on size, diced
Salt - As per taste
Red Chilli Powder - 2 Tsp
Garlic - 5-6 cloves
Water - 5-6 Cups
Method:
Cut the pork fat into small pieces and keep aside.
Heat a cooking pot, make it super hot, then sear and melt the fat, keep the fat pieces aside.
Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil into the cooking pot and fry the onions, light saute, make sure not to caramelize it, else your entire dish will taste very onion-ie (is this even a word ?;)).
Then, add the cabbage and tomatoes, saute for 2-3 minutes, return the fat pieces to the pot, add salt and chilli powder and mix.
Now, add the potatoes and water, cook covered till the water comes to a rolling boil. Then, smash the garlic pods with the back of your knife and dump it into the curry. Cover and cook till potatoes are cooked.
Once the potatoes are soft, mash some of the pieces to thicken the gravy.
Sprinkle some chopped coriander and this curry is ready to be served with warm rice and a nice chutney. Enjoy!!
What will happen if I render fat and store it in a glass jar?
ReplyDeleteHi Rahul, Thanks for stopping by. Glass jar should be fine if you're going to keep it at room temperature. However, if you're thinking of storing it in the refrigerator, steel or plastic container is ideal. Hope this helps! :)
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