Rich Pork Chops

Pork chops with good amount of fat-5 pieces
olive oil-1 tbl sp
honey-a good drizzle
soy sauce-2 tbl sp
hoisin sauce-1 tbl sp
oyster sauce-2 tbl sp
tomato sauce-2 tbl sp
ginger and garlic paste (ground with cardamom,cinnamon,pepper,cloves and cumin seeds) 1 tbl sp
red wine-use half a glass or more(if the wine is not fit for drinking never waste it just add to the dish)
salt(optional)
a red chili masala(we got this special variety from Bombay with onion powder and a fantastic flavour but plain chili powder can be used)
red onions-4 medium ones sliced
fresh coriander leaves for garnish
Method
Mix all of the above ingredients together (except the onions and the red wine)and add to the pork chops.Marinate well and store in fridge for about six hours(this requires planning but half and hour will also do if greed gets the better of you)
heat a cooker on high and add a drop of oil.Sear the pork chops on high heat to seal in the juices and remove to a plate.Mix the sliced onions into the remaining marinade and fry in the remaining juices in the cooker.When nicely brown,return the pork chops to the cooker mix well,add the red wine and pressure cook for half an hour.
Serve garnished with fresh green coriander and steamed rice.

Porky Pig

It isn't everyday that we eat Pork simply because its a meat that if full of fat(which is not such a good thing on a regular basis) and we find it difficult to digest.We eat pork as sausages and ham and sometimes as bacon,mostly to add flavour to our risotto and other dishes.But once in a while we make an exception.My nephew is a die hard pork fan and were he in America when Obama referred to a pig with lipstick,chances are that the boy would have called Obama to find out where the pig was (never mind that the rest of America was getting their knickers in a twist over the comment)So he buys some pork chops,oozing with thick layers of fat.Fantastic stuff.We decide to make a family meal of it and since one is not very familiar with pork recipes,(since we don't cook it so often) we search the Internet and modify to our ingredients.The finished product is rich and tasty.A day after eating it I am still recovering from the feast.Naturally if we had done a bit of planning and marinated it over night the results would have been even better but since home cooking is all about innovation and making do with what we have and thinking on ones feet,well it all turned out to be rather good.So the recipe in its modified version is her for all to use.

Chocolate cake

1 cup flour
1 cup icing sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
4 eggs separated
1/2 cup icing sugar(separate)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water

soft flour,sugar,cocoa and baking powder and baking soda and keep aside.
in a separate bowl,beat together egg yolks,gradually adding the oil and water.Fold in the sifted flour and continue beating.
In a separate bowl beat egg whites with remaining icing sugar until the it forms peaks.Fold into the already beaten mix.
pour into baking tray(no need to grease tray) and cook on high heat for 10 minutes.Turn down oven to 180 degrees and continue baking for 1/2 an hour.
Serve with some hot chocolate sauce.

Cake and calories

There is something to be said for all that calorie burn that happens at gyms.It gives me at least the confidence to try out new things (as in food).It also teaches me to overcome my biggest fears.For instance when baking a cake.We all know that baking is about precision but then look at it this way.What can possibly go wrong with a combination of eggs,butter,chocolate,and flour.Nothing really,it may not look like the real thing if the measurements go wrong but its still edible.So to overcome my latent fear of all things measurable,I started with chocolate pudding.The first attempt went drastically wrong so we had to drink thick,gooey chocolate for days on end.At the second attempt it was better,firm like its supposed to be but a little fine tuning required.
The cake was a different story altogether.The first thing about embarking on a journey of uncharted territories is that it comes with its own set of baggage,so remember to bake requires equipment.My fist investment was in an oven,followed by a hand blender and now i am on the look out for a good baking dish.The wonder of mastering measurements is to convert all into cup measures.This way depending on the cup size one can determine the size of the cake and also decrease or increase on requirement.My sister is who is a master of the short cut introduced me to the cup measure .Yesterday a new cake was baked and it came out beautifully and tasted so yummy that my first faltering steps into baking are proving to be just a wee bit rewarding.This of course means that i cant stop now and that the calories will build up,but then again with a one year membership at the gym all is well that ends well