Pork Patia? Hector and Marg have long accepted that Lamb Patia does not work. In the years before Curry-Heute (B.C.H.), the recipe for Chicken Patia was popular in Hector’s House. I suspect we sickened ourselves of it. Patia is a very tasty Curry, albeit – more sweet than sour.
Given that I only cook Chicken Curry these days by request, there had to be a compromise. Pork cutlets fitted the bill. Hector’s Pork Vindaloo has gone down well, maybe Pork Patia could be a winner. The cutlets were marinaded in Red Wine Vinegar overnight.
After two months of Lockdown for the majority, but not all, Hector’s range of dishes is being truly tested. Hector’s patience is also being tested. Curry-Heute should have been in Berlin presently, instead, a walk in Dalmuir Park is the highlight of the week. Marg is always happy to see animals, – ugly ducklings – excite. I hear the counter of the Queen’s swans is also in Lockdown, so there will be no record made in 2020.
The ingredients were assembled as per the Chicken Patia recipe. As reported with last week’s Kofta Palak, breaking onions down to a mash is proving to be difficult with the present batch. As the blender was coming out to mix the ketchup, purée and lemon juice, I thought I would cheat and blitz the Onions in the required 250ml of Vegetable Oil.
The white frothy paste does look a bit off-putting, however, it ends up with a positive outcome. By the time the Spices went in, a standard blended Masala was underway. A defrosted 30g pack of what was once Fresh Coriander was the added Herb. Tomorrow is shopping day, the weekend Curry will have Fresh Foliage. Marg is still being tolerant of Curry twice weekly. As long as I keep the Spice Level down all should be well. I was stretching my luck with the two large Green Chillies.
Courgette, and some of the last Mushrooms in the house were added for – Diversity. One and a half Pork Cutlets per person is not a lot of Meat. Basmati would accompany.
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Pork Patia
Orange, not the unnatural – Red – that we have seen recently, was an acceptable colour for the Patia. The blended Masala was not Bhuna-thick but was far from being – Soupy. As is the Hector Curry norm, it looked the part.
Lovely – said Marg, as has become her custom of saying something positive about every meal I have presented since Lockdown began. I had never envisaged the prospect of having to prepare sixty plus consecutive meals at home.
The – Sweet & Sour – tanginess was there. The Courgettes may have added – Diversity – but in terms of flavour, were no more than – Ballast. Large pieces of freshly bought Mushrooms work so much better. These I did not have. The Spice Level was moderate as was the aim, the Seasoning impressed, and Marg made no comment. Perhaps the Kofta Palak last Saturday has moved the goalposts.
At a time when people are being asked to book a COVID-19 test if one’s taste-buds or sense of smell seem impaired, today something strange happened.
One mouthful of Patia almost made me wince. Cardamom! I hadn’t spotted any on my plate, but the overwhelming – smokiness – of Black Cardamom hit the palate. Four had gone into the pot, I eventually unearthed three on my plate. Cardamom overdose. There’s nowt wrong with Hector’s taste buds.
I found the Pork to be less than satisfactory, too thin, nothing to get one’s teeth into. The marinade had added the required something – extra, but texture-wise, it wasn’t right (for me).
I shall reveal my conclusion shortly, meanwhile, Marg’s words:
A good texture, great taste, and I enjoyed having pork for a change.
Hector’s verdict:
There’s only one Patia – Chicken Patia!
I wonder what Swan Patia would be like?