Thursday 12 August 2010

Caraway Rice and Pork Balls with Green Beans

Caramelised pork balls are just fabulous. Biting through, the first sensation is the crunch, then into succulent juicy meat followed by the caraway. If there is one dish I have developed, as I am writing this recipe book that will definitely be a regular on our menu it is this one. Accompanied with dense sweet sticky rice balls . .they are really worth the effort of making at the same time. With similar characteristics to the pork balls the rice is sweetened on the outside and moist in the middle, contrasting in texture.


The green beans add a final crunch and use the favours left in the pan. They also work well cold as a packed lunch the following day, and you can freezer them before cooking, so make some extra!


Ingredients


Pork Balls

450g Minced pork
80g Breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons of sliced almonds
Pinch of salt
One level teaspoon of ground nutmeg
One heaped tablespoon of caraway seeds
3 tablespoons of wok oil
1 chilli
5 heaped tablespoons of plain flour
( 1 small egg ) optional

Green beans
2 finely sliced cloves of garlic
One pack of green beans

Rice Balls

500g Suchi rice
6 cardamom pods
1 medium finely chopped and sautéed onion
2 tablespoons of Caraway seeds
Pinch of salt & a pinch of white pepper
3 garlic cloves very finely chopped.

Method pork balls.

Place all the ingredients except for the oil and the flour into a bowl and mix together well. Form into golf ball size balls and roll in flour before transferring to the pan of the heated wok oil.(Depending on your breadcrumbs you may need extra help binding together the ingredients - mix an egg in well this will ensure they stay together.) Cook on a low to medium heat for about 12 minutes. You must make sure they are cooked all the way through. By keeping the pan temperature moderate you will caramelise the pork so that it is crispy on the outside and succulent inside. Not too hot or they will burn. Not too cool or they will be greasy.

Rice balls

Cook the rice according to the pack instructions with the cardamom pods. Once cold remove the cardamom pods. They have done their job. Add all the other ingredients and mix well. Form into golf size balls using wet hands. For best results use a bowl of water to rinse and wet your hands – as this stops the starch sticking. Follow the method of cooking as above for the pork balls.

Green beans

Top and tail the beans, wash them and then cook together with the garlic in the oil left over in the pan from the pork balls for 5 – 7 minutes. Scatter all of the dishes with finely chopped chillies and Greek basil, and marigold petals if you should have any in the garden.

4 comments:

  1. These are a personal favourite of mine, the pork balls are delicious, with rice or cous cous ... Is that how you spell it ?

    Also goes well with rice balls and caraway ... yum

    ReplyDelete
  2. Vanessa,

    HAve you done any travelling to the far east?
    If so - tell us about your food experiences.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Last year my mum looked after my young children whilst I spent almost a month traveling from Hanoi, Northern Vietnam to Saigon in Southern Vietnam with my father. It was one of the most incredible experiences ever, on every level. On a bonding level with my father, on rediscovering myself after having three children in just 4 years, and on a culinary level – of course.

    I did several cookery courses but one in particular was a day in the Red bridge cookery school. This course was one of the most enlightening culinary experiences as the chef spent a good deal of time explaining how the balance of sweet, sour, and salt combined in Vietnamese cooking to produce these intense flavors’.

    http://www.visithoian.com/redbridge/cookingschool.html

    The food in Vietnam was truly remarkable and was really the highlight of the trip. The people were witty, friendly and intrigued by my white skin, blue eyes and red hair, and my continuous attempts at speaking Vietnamese wherever I went never failed to amuse them. I cannot wait to return. Although it may be some time.. in the mean time I satisfy myself with cooking Vietnamese food every now and again.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Found this site after it posted a lovely review of Brasserie Blanc. Pork balls caught my eye, tried them last night, delicious! I tend to think Eastern Europe when I thnk caraways (I am half French half Czech)so this recipe was a real surprise. I changed the Greek basil for Thai basil.Cooking the green beans in the oil left by the pork makes all the difference.
    Wonderful recipe, too good to find out what they are like cold.
    Thanks
    John Lederer
    Managing Director
    Brasserie Blanc

    ReplyDelete

If you are reading my blog I must warn you that I am not impartial. I want to influence you. I want to make you stop for just a moment and consider the effect of a lifetime of seemingly insignificant decisions and how making small delicious choices can change the world.

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