I have for you a very tasty version of what you can do with pork fillet by covering it with a “batter” of oriental flavours. Garam masala is a traditional spice blend for India and other South Asian countries. “Hot mix”, as “garam masala” is translated, for Indian cuisine is what as ” Herbes de Provence” is for French cuisine. It is added to soups and meat, scrambled eggs and vegetable dishes. The mix varies from region to region and from house to house. Usually it consists of cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, pepper and cloves, but other ingredients are added to the garam masala, for example, chili, star anise, garlic, or even rosebuds.
I have for you a very tasty version of what you can do with pork fillet by covering it with a “batter” of oriental flavours. - Prep time: 25 minutes +1 hours’ marinating
- Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Serves: 4-6
- Difficulty: easy
- Course: main course
- Cookware: mortar and pestle
- Cuisine: Odessa
Ingredients
- 1 kg pork fillet
- 150 g bacon, cut into small cubes
- 3 sprigs of rosemary
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- sea salt
For garam masala:
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp cloves
- 1½ tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp cardamom seeds
- 1 tsp cinnamon sticks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Cooking method
Step 1
For garam masala, put the frying pan on high heat and heat the olive oil. Then gradually add the spices one by one, so to give the denser spices a little more time to cook. Add spices in the following order: cloves, black pepper, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander. Fry the spices for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly until an intense aroma appears. Let the spices cool. Add to a mortar and pestle and grind together.
Step 2
Clean the pork fillet from fat and silver skin. Make small cuts in the meat and spread the bacon and rosemary sprigs evenly. Brush the pork with oil, salt, and garam masala. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Step 3
Heat the oven to 150˚С. Wrap the meat in foil, place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes. 5-10 minutes before the end of baking, slightly open the foil so that a golden crust forms on the meat.
My tips and tricks:
Always buy only the best spices and buy them separately, not in ready-made mixtures. You never know exactly what’s in the mix. One of the most popular and important spices is cinnamon. Nowadays, there is a popular opinion that Ceylon cinnamon is much better than Chinese cassia. But actually, it is not. They are both very good for health and differ only slightly in aroma, Ceylon cinnamon is a little bit more intense. Both are used in traditional medicine to lower blood sugar levels. But be careful with cassia and do not eat it in tablespoons amounts, in such doses it can still be harmful 🙂
- 1 kg pork fillet
- 150 g bacon, cut into small cubes
- 3 sprigs of rosemary
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- sea salt
- For garam masala:
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp cloves
- 1½ tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp cardamom seeds
- 1 tsp cinnamon sticks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- For garam masala, put the frying pan on high heat and heat the olive oil. Then gradually add the spices one by one, so to give the denser spices a little more time to cook. Add spices in the following order: cloves, black pepper, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander. Fry the spices for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly until an intense aroma appears. Let the spices cool. Add to a mortar and pestle and grind together.
- Clean the pork fillet from fat and silver skin. Make small cuts in the meat and spread the bacon and rosemary sprigs evenly. Brush the pork with oil, salt, and garam masala. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Heat the oven to 150˚С. Wrap the meat in foil, place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes. 5-10 minutes before the end of baking, slightly open the foil so that a golden crust forms on the meat.