Before anything, I’d like to declare that Chinita’s in Bangalore serves the best Mexican food. As it is there’s severe dearth of cuisine in ur country, let alone the good kind (I’m not going to say authentic because I’ve never been to Mexico and eaten there). And please excuse me Taco Bell doesn’t count (their quesadilla isn’t the worst thing in the world though).
Anyhoo. I went to Chinita’s with a traitor of a friend who was leaving the country so it was like a goodbye meal. And it was here I ate pork carnitas and roast pork tacos with a pineapple salsa. Two different kinds of tacos with different toppings/salsa. The roast pork one stuck in my head. It was meaty, juicy, spicy, sweet and everything I didn’t know I wanted.
Cut to Gurgaon. I had a random thought of making pandi curry and then figured why not serve it taco style. It was a decision I’m proud of. The pandi curry tacos were bloody delicious. And the pineapple salsa with them …*kisses fingers*
Let’s get down to business, shall we?
Serves 4
Pandi Curry
Ingredients:
Pork shoulder – 700 gm
Onion – 1 large, sliced
Green chilli – 2
Garlic – 5 big cloves
Ginger – thumbsize
Spice powders (cumin, coriander, chilli, pepper) – 1 tsp each
Kachampuli – 1/2 tsp (unfortunately there’s no substitute with the same effect, but you may use a splash of vinegar for the sourness)
Turmeric – 1/2 tsp
Salt – to taste
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Tortilla
Makki/Maize flour – 1 cup
Wheat flour/atta – 1 cup
Water – as needed
Pork fat – 2 tbsp (optional but extremely highly reccomended)
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Pineapple Salsa
Pineapple – 1 cup, diced
Tomato – 1/2 cup, diced
Onion – 1/2 cup, diced
Cucumber – 1 cup, diced
Coriander leaves – handful, chopped
Chilli – 1, finely chopped
Lemon – juice of 1/2 a lemon
Salt – to taste
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Method:
Pandi Curry
Render out some of the fat from the fatty pieces by placing them on a hot nonstick pan. Let it cook and use in tortilla. Discard the fat pieces. Don’t eat them it’s not bacon.
On a low flame in a nonstick pan, gently saute all the spice powders together. They will slowly change colour to a dark brown shade. Turn off the flame.
Pound together – ginger, garlic and chilli.
In a pressure cooker, render out some more fat from a couple of the fatty pieces and add the onions.
Soon after, add the pounded ginger-garlic-chilli and saute.
Now add the pork, half of the spice powders, kachampuli and a cup of water.
Put the lid on and let 2 whistles go off on high heat. Now turn the flame completely down and let this cook for 50 mins.
Once pressure drops on its own, take the lid off. Turn the heat back on and add the remainder of the spice powders. Let this simmer for another 5 mins. Keep aside.
Tortilla
Knead together the flours with some salt and the rendered pork fat if you’re using it. It should be a medium soft/hard dough. Not too soft else it’ll tear. Not too hard, else it’ll tear out of dryness. Let it sit for 20 mins.
Roll them out like you would phulkas and cook them on a tawa like you would phulkas.
Pineapple salsa
Bring all the ingredients together and add some salt and lemon juice.
Assembly
Lay out the tortilla and top it with a couple of spoons of the pandi curry, the pineapple salsa and give it a squeeze of lemon.
Instructions to eat
Tilt your head sideways and go to town on these super delicious pandi curry tacos!