A Fish Dinner in Memison

This is very spicy. We love it. We got Suvir Saran's cookbook after watching him demonstrate Indian home cooking at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival several years ago, and it's full of good stuff.

Pork Vindaloo
(Suvir Saran)

Serves 4

SPICE PASTE:
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
10 whole dried red chiles
A ½-inch piece cinnamon stick
8 whole cloves
6 green cardamom pods
10 black peppercorns
½ teaspoon turmeric
6 garlic cloves, minced
A 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons white vinegar
Juice of ½ lemon
¼ teaspoon salt

2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, well trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 very ripe medium tomatoes, quartered, or 1 (14.5-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
2 medium onions, quartered
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ to ½ cup water

For the spice paste, combine the cumin, coriander, red chiles, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and peppercorns in a spice grinder and grind to a coarse powder. Dump out into a large ceramic or glass bowl and stir in the turmeric, garlic, ginger, vinegar, lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon salt.

Add the pork and stir with a spatula to coat the meat with the paste. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours or up to 4 hours.

Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes and onions in a food processor and puree; set aside. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed casserole over medium-high heat. Add the pork with its marinade and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes.

Add the tomato-onion puree and salt, and stir well. Bring to a boil. Add water as needed to cover the meat. Return to a boil, turn the heat down, and simmer, covered, until the meat is tender, about 1 hour. Taste for salt and serve hot.