Spicy Pork & Noodle Omelette

This is the first time I’ve tried a Marion Grasby recipe. When I saw it on YouTube, I was quite apprehensive. I felt like saying, “Damn girl, who the hell adds noodles to an omelette?” As fate would have it, just a couple of days later, I had some left-over Maggi Chicken Noodles (made with a spoonful of my Multi-Purpose Masala added). I told myself, ‘what the heck, let me give this a try.’ Luckily, Marion had mentioned we could use any noodles (ramen, egg, rice - just about any would do). I picked up the phone and ordered some oink mince. That night, I whipped up this Spicy Pork & Noodle Omelette for dinner. I’m so darn glad I did. This was a super delish dinner! Regardless of whether Marion reads this, I have to say, ‘Thank you, Marion. This recipe is a keeper!”

Marion claims this is a 10 minute-week night recipe. Had she sent me her team to keep everything prepped, it would have been. *wicked grin* In all honesty, it’ll take about 45 minutes. Faster than most recipes, sure; but 10 minutes?? Hell, no!

I followed Marion’s recipe with some tiny changes. I’m going to pen this exactly as I made it. This is my way to ensure the recipe does not go wrong when you recreate it. This recipe makes three (2-egg) omelettes.

Ingredients for Pork Mince:

250 grams pork mince (I used Prasuna Pork Mince)
2 cloves garlic, grated or chopped
2 Thai bird’s eye chillies, chopped
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon sweet dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons red chilli powder (I used Deghi Mirch powder0
1 cup baby spinach, chiffonade cut
1 tablespoon oil

Ingredients for Omelette:

6 eggs (2 eggs per omelette)
3/4th teaspoon (¼ teaspoon per omelette) white pepper powder
3 teaspoons fish sauce (1 teaspoon per omelette)
150 - 180 grams cooked noodles (50 - 60 grams per omelette)
6 to 7 tablespoons oil (2 to 2.5 tablespoons per omelette)

Garnish:

Juliennes of chillies or chopped coriander leaves

Method for Pork Mince:

1. Heat oil and add pork mince. Sauté for a few seconds.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Add the chopped garlic and chillies.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Sauté the pork mince until it loses its clumpy texture and begins to get grainy. If need be, use a fork to rid the mince of its clumpy texture.
4. Continue sautéing the pork on low flame until it is nearly cooked. (If the mixture feels too dry, add a couple of teaspoons of water - don’t worry, it’ll dry up by the time the pork gets done)
   
   
   
   
   
5. Add fish sauce, sweet dark soy sauce, chilli powder and sauté until the flavours come together.
   
   
   
   
   
6. When the mince is cooked, add the spinach, and toss for half a minute or a minute, until the spinach wilts and cooks.
   
   
   
   
   
7. Remove the cooked mince into a bowl. Keep warm until needed.
   
   
   

Method for Omelette:

1. Break 2 eggs in a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon fish sauce, ¼th teaspoon white pepper powder and whisk the eggs to mix well. Do NOT over froth.
   
   

   

   I made the first omelette with three eggs hence this photograph. Trust me, go with two eggs. 

   
   
2. Add 50-60 grams cooked noodles and give the eggs a gentle whisk.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Heat oil in an 8-inch pan.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Add the egg-noodle mixture. LOWER heat and allow the omelette to cook until golden brown. (This is an Asian style omelette, this is not a colourless French omelette)
   
   
   
   
   
5. Flip the omelette carefully and cook until the other side is a gorgeous light yellow.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Flip the omelette once more on to its golden-brown side. Fold it into a half-moon.
   
   
   
   
   
7. Carefully remove the folded omelette onto a plate.
   
   
   
   
   
8. Spoon the warm pork mince over the omelette and garnish with julienned chillies or chopped coriander. Serve.
9. Repeat the process to make two more omelettes.

Chef Notes:

1. No salt was used for this recipe as fish sauce lends saltiness to the oink (pork) and the eggs.
2. Yes, please USE fish sauce as the flavour it lends to this dish is AMAZING!!
3. Use any mince (chicken, beef, buff, mutton). The original recipe used pork mince, and I 'laaau' pork, hence went with the original protein.
4. I had these gorgeous Thai bird’s eye chillies hence used them. Go with any chillies available in your pantry.
5. Marion’s recipe used Thai basil leaves while I opted for baby spinach. Why? Coz, I do eat basil, but I prefer baby spinach. If using spinach, I’d advice you stick to baby spinach.
6. This is a very forgiving recipe, so except for insisting on the use of sweet dark soy and fish sauce, go with whatever you find in the pantry with regard to noodles, herbs, and garnishes.
7. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.
   

Some More Photographs:

Coorg Pandi (Pork) Curry

I’d read this recipe many a times but was petrified to attempt it. Reason being, while I’ve cooked and eaten various meats, and offal, all my life, but when it comes to pork, I’d only eaten lots of it. I’d never cooked pork at home. Well, that was about to change coz when a friend mentioned he was visiting the local pork shop, I (bravely) told him to buy some for me. 😊 Once the oink reached me, there was no going back. Now, I had to cook it 😉 

Question: What recipe should I select for my first oink cook?
Fortunately, that decision was a no-brainer. I was extremely inspired by a very dear friend (Keroo) who had attempted a different Coorg Pandi recipe (via You Tube). Another reason being, I had sourced a bottle of Kachampuli Vinegar and was very eager to use it. 😊

This dish is nothing great to look at coz the Curry turns a dark, dark colour (nearly black) but flavour-wise, it’s a frikkin’ bomb! The kind that pleasantly explodes on your palate. 😊

Ingredients:

1½ kilo boneless pork chunks (with fat), wash and cut into 1½ inch cubes
2½ teaspoon turmeric powder
3 heaped teaspoons red chili powder (I used deghi mirch)
7 medium onions, peel and cut into large cubes
11 green chilies, break into 1-inch pieces (I used the long variety that’s not too spicy)
1½ pod garlic, peeled (weight AFTER peeling – 30 grams)
9 tablespoons Pandi Masala (recipe posted below)
1½ tablespoons Kachampuli Vinegar, or to taste
Salt to taste

Method: 

1. Marinate the pork chunks in turmeric powder, chili powder and salt to taste. Give it a good mix. Keep aside for 30 minutes.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Grind the onions, green chilies, and garlic into a smooth paste. Do NOT add any water to grind this as the onions will release quite a bit of its own. (In case you feel the need to add water, please add merely 1 tablespoon, no more) 
   
   
   
   
   
3. Add the marinated pork to a pressure cooker, add 3 tablespoons water (please do NOT add more) and pressure cook for 6 whistles. (IMPORTANT: Immediately lower the flame after the first whistle, and continue cooking on low flame for the next 5 whistles) 
   
   
   
   
   
4. Shut the stove after 6 whistles. Allow the pressure to release by itself and when the cooker has cooled down, open and remove the cooked pork into a large (non-reactive) vessel. (I used a large non-stick pan) 
   
   
   
   
   
5. Put the oink back on heat and when it begins to bubble, add the ground onion paste and give it a good stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on medium flame. 
6. Add the Pandi Masala and stir well to ensure the masala is well mixed into the bubbling gravy. 
   
   
   
   
   
7. Continue simmering for 3 to 4 minutes. 
   
   
   
   
8. Add Kachampuli vinegar. Give the gravy a good stir and simmer for 2 more minutes. 
   
   
   
   
9. Adjust seasoning and simmer for a minute more if adjusted. 
10. Serve with pau or soft steamed rice. (I preferred it with soft steamed rice)
    
    
    
    
    

Pandi Masala

11 tablespoons coriander seeds
4½ tablespoons cumin seeds
5 Byadagi Chilies
16 dry red Guntur chilies
1½ teaspoons mustard seeds
3 tablespoons black peppercorns
½ inch cinnamon
2 cloves
A handful of curry leaves
6 grains of fenugreek seeds

Before Roasting

Method: 

1. Roast each of the Pandi masala ingredients, SEPARATELY, until well roasted and quite dark in colour. Please roast each ingredient carefully, tossing them around all the time to ensure they do not burn. NOTE: Roast the curry leaves and chilies well, but not to a very dark shade. Just roast them well, until crisp.
   
   

   

   After Roasting 

   
   
2. As each ingredient gets roasted, keep adding them into a large plate to cool down. 
   
   
   
   
   
3. When the roasted ingredients are cool, dry grind them, together, into a powder. 
   
   
   
   
   
4. This will give you approximately 120-125 grams of Pandi Masala. Cool and store in an air-tight bottle. 
   
   
   
   
   
   

Chef Notes: 

1. Please note, Guntur chilies are spicy. Adjust the quantity of ground Pandi masala that you add to the gravy as per your tolerance. For us, this proportion was perfect! The final result was spicy and tangy without any of us having to use an ice pack the next morning. *evil grin* If you prefer a very spicy blend of curry, I suggest you increase the quantity of Guntur chilies. 
2. Please do NOT use lean pork for this recipe. 
3. The pork is cooked (in the cooker) on low heat, hence, please do NOT cut the pork smaller than 1½ inch chunks as chances are, the meat will disintegrate. Bigger chunks will be fine but do NOT cut the oink into tiny pieces. 
4. When you empty out the pork from the cooker, please remember to use a non-reactive vessel like enamel, stainless steel, or non-stick, as you will be adding vinegar to the gravy. 
   
5. You may take this recipe a wee bit further by sautéing the meat to a dry consistency, thereby turning the curry into a dry version of Coorg Pandi Fry. This can be served as a starter over crackers, as a filling for puff pastry or in vol-au-vent cases as party finger-food. 
   
   
   
   
   

   

   Coorg Pandi Fry (The Dry Version)

   
   
6. If 1½ kilo pork is a bit much for you, halve the recipe. 
7. I had sourced Kachampuli Vinegar (from Amazon) but if it is unavailable to you, you may substitute it with tamarind paste. The flavour will differ but the recipe will work with that, too. Also, adjust the tanginess to suit your preference. For me/us, 1½ tablespoons of Kachampuli was perfect. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. I checked out many recipes on You Tube, and finally homed in on two that I liked. While I mainly stuck to the ingredients and method used in Sidhartha’s Kitchen, the Pandi masala is a combination of Sidhartha’s recipe and another recipe. For the life of me I cannot find the second recipe, nor do I remember the name of the channel. Apologies for that! 
9. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes, and/or my photographs, on any blogsite or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.
   
   Some more photographs:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
                                                                 Whole Spices Before Roasting
   
   
   
                                                                    Whole Spices After Roasting
   
   
   

Bacon Crumble

Certain food/s make one’s heart sing. Bacon happens to be just that! Only someone who loves bacon as much as I do will understand that. For ‘oink’ lovers this is a must-have pantry/fridge staple. I usually make this is a large half-kilo quantity. My choice of bacon is usually streaky. The meat crisps up and the fat melts gorgeously providing me with oinky-fat for eggs, fried rice, etc. While I know chicken bacon is available, please don’t waste your time crisping that up. Really, if it’s chicken bacon you wanna use, just don’t bother! *cheeky grin* Bacon crumble is always, always ‘oink’!

Ingredient:

Half kilo streaky bacon (or any bacon)

Method:

1.    Heat a pan. (non-stick or otherwise)

2.    Lay out bacon strips in the pan and fry them NEARLY crisp on both sides.

3.    Remove and leave to drain onto a plate lined with kitchen paper towels. They will further crisp up as they cool.

4.    Remove the released fat from the pan into a bowl.

5.    Repeat the frying process until all bacon is used up.

6.    Once cool, cut into pieces with a knife (difficult) or snip the strips with a pair of scissors (easy-peasy). To cut large crumbles, or fine, is entirely up to you. I prefer small crumble. Go on, fry a batch… or two… or three. *wicked grin*

Chef Notes:

1.    As always, the words in caps and bold are merely for emphasis; not meant to offend.

2.    Please do not over-fry the bacon. You aren’t going to enjoy the crumble if it tastes bitter.

3.    Do not crowd the pan with bacon strips. Add them in a way where they fit comfortably and are easy to flip.

4.    Do not forget to remove the melted bacon fat into a separate bowl after each batch is fried. That liquid is ‘oink-gold’. 😊

5.    Draining the fried bacon strips on kitchen towels and allowing them to cool is a VERY IMPORTANT step as the bacon crisps up beautifully when given time to drain the excess fat and cool down.

6.    You can also use an electric chopper if you want very fine crumbles of bacon.

7.    I usually use these crumbles for omelettes, scrambled eggs, chowders, grilled cheese sandwiches, creamy mushrooms on toast and more. There are times when I stand in front of my fridge, open the fridge door, sneakily grab the box of bacon crumble and steal a spoonful. Shhuussshhh! Sometimes, I’m surprised there’s any left when I actually need it. Hehehe! 😊

8.    This keeps beautifully for 4 to 6 six weeks, in an airtight bottle or box. I usually store it in the fridge, but it keeps just as beautifully when stored outside. My reason for using the fridge is mainly that it stays out of sight. *Honest confession – Sigh!*

9.    While point No 9. is not exactly a ‘Chef Note’, I simply had to pen this. Before you cut up all the bacon, keep one slice aside for yourself. Head to the fridge, get out that jar of Bitter Orange Marmalade, smear some on the slice of bacon and…. ahem!! Do I need to say anything more?? Oh alright, eat it, dammit! So darn yum! Disclaimer: Please do this after you have finished snipping the rest of the bacon slices or you’ll have no bacon left to snip. *evil grin*

10. There is a microwave method, too, wherein you lay bacon strips between two kitchen towels. Ensure they are laid out without sticking together. Put the bacon (encased between kitchen towels) on a plate and microwave for 5 minutes. I’m told the kitchen towel absorbs the grease leaving you with crisp bacon. Clarification: This is something I read online and is not a method tried and tested by me. I always opt for the pan crumble.

11. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.

Some more photographs: