Vanilla and Coconut Pork

A recipe from Spice it Up by Levi Roots that combines unusual flavours. Don't think this is a tame dish with its smooth coconut and sweet vanilla, it packs a punch with a scotch bonnet chilli and fragrant ginger. Perfect for a quick summer week-night treat with a big bowl of salad to accompany, and a glass of Pinot Grigio.

Ingredients
2 Pork steaks or chops
2 Onions, finely chopped
4 cloves of Garlic, finely sliced
1 Scotch Bonnet, cut in half
2 dried red Chillis, sliced
2cm piece of Ginger, grated
1/2 can of Coconut milk
1 tsp brown Sugar
1 Lime, zest and juice
1 Vanilla pod
handful of fresh Coriander
1 stick of Celery, chopped
1/2 cup Rice
1 cob of fresh Corn, kernels removed/ small can of sweetcorn
1 cup of vegetable Stock
cooking Oil
Salt & Pepper

Recipe
Start by cooking the rice to accompany the dish first. Heat some oil in a small saucepan, fry half of the onions, and half of the garlic until the onions have become translucent. Put the heat up and add the dried chilli and one half of the scotch bonnet. Add sweetcorn and rice and mix well. Pour in the stock and turn the heat up until boiling. Reduce the heat to low and leave to bubble away for 10 minutes. Once most of the water has gone, put a lid until all the water has evaporated. Put to one side with the lid on.

For the pork, heat some oil in a large frying pan. Season the pork meat with salt and pepper and then fry them for 2-3 minutes on each side until nicely browned. Transfer onto a plate and put to one side.

Turn the heat down to add the remaining onions and cook until soft. Add the garlic, scotch bonnet and ginger and cook until everything is soft and fragrant. Add coconut milk, sugar and half the lime juice. Slice the vanilla pod lengthways to scrape the seeds out. Add the seeds and pod to the coconut milk and cook on a low heat to avoid splitting the coconut cream. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the steaks and their juices back to the pan, and depending on the thickness of your streaks, cook for a further 20 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the steaks every so often to keep them moist. Once cooked, add the lime zest and remaining lime. Serve over the sweetcorn rice with a scattering of coriander seeds and enjoy. :)