The Healthy Kitchen: An Indian Spiced Pork Quinoa Bowl

 I know pork is not usually served in Indian dishes, but I like it and it's what I had. This recipe ended up being made up of all green veggies which is a first for me. I am being a bit more adventurous. This included some leafy greens. Which, spoiler alert, is one of my goals for 2025, to include more leafy greens in my meals. I created a spice blend to cook my veggies and meat in made up of traditional Indian spices. I was going to add carrot to this but realized I was out. So I pivoted and I liked this version a lot. 

Indian Spice Blend

1 TBSP turmeric powder

1 TBSP garam masala

1 TBSP cumin

1 tsp mango amchur

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp Zingy Cumin Tadka (Burlap and Barrel blend)

*all of the spices I used were from Burlap and Barrel

The ingredients:

1 TBSP ghee

1lb ground pork

1 green pepper diced

1 onion diced

Indian Spice Blend

Chopped Broccoli

Peas

Pinch of Saffron

Garlic Powder

Ground Ginger

Spinach 

Black Urfa Chili

Silk Chili

Salt

Coriander Chili Chutney

Garnish: Cilantro leaves

1 C quinoa

2 C broth

The recipe:

In a rice cooker, start your quinoa with the broth, plus a pinch of saffron. 

In a skillet melt the Ghee and add the onion, pepper, pork, and Indian Spice blend plus the garlic and ginger. Cook until veggies soften, and meat is cooked through. The spices will bloom as you cook. 

Add the rest of the veggies (broccoli, peas, spinach) and cook until to your liking.

Add the Black Urfa Chili, Silk Chili, pinch of saffron, and salt to taste. 

Add a bit of Coriander chili chutney (this is found at the Indian market in town).

Stir to combine all of the seasonings. 

Serve the meat mixture over a bed of quinoa. 

Top with cilantro to garnish.