Take the chill off fall with a flavourful stew packed with exotic flavours from cardamom, coconut milk and dates.
Who knew you could do so much with simple cardamom? Have you even tried it? It’s a totally unforgettable gem that is overlooked here in Canada. Used mostly in Middle Eastern cooking, it’s adds an amazing taste to recipes. Not a hot spice, just really interesting. I love it!
Now that the fall chill has finally settled in here in Toronto, I thought it was a great time to whip out a winter stew. This make-ahead Spiced Pork and Sweet Potato Stew is great to dig into during the weeknight hustle and bustle. An traditional favourite, with a new twist!
Cardamom is native to India, Pakistan and Nepal. There are three main varieties; green cardamom (the most commonly used in recipes), black cardamom and white cardamom. Whole green cardamom comes in pods, which are removed and discarded, the seeds inside are ground for a unique spicy-sweet taste, with an intensely aromatic fragrance, almost a perfume. Green cardamom, the most common, is also the world’s third-most expensive spice, with vanilla coming in at second and saffron at number one.
I love to use it, check out another one of my recipes – Cardamon-Coffee Rubbed Pork Tenderloin. So easy and really packed with flavour, a great way to start your spice journey… enjoy!
Spiced Pork and Sweet Potato Stew
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Ingredients
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp salt and black pepper
- 1 lbs. Ontario pork loin boneless rib chops or pork shoulder, chopped into 1” cubes
- 1 Tbsp canola oil
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 2 tsp EACH garlic and ginger, chopped
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 2-1/2 cups sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1” cubes
- 1/2 cup Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
- 1/4 cup olives, sliced
- 3 to matoes, chopped
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- juice of ½ lemon
- 1 400 mL can coconut milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 cup mint leaves, optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix cardamom, cumin, cinnamon and turmeric.
- Place pork into a resealable freezer bag. Sprinkle spice mix over top, toss to coat. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
- Heat oil a dutch oven on medium-high. Add pork cubes and cook, stirring, 6-8 minutes. Remove.
- Add onion (and a bit more oil if needed) and sauté for
- minutes. Lower heat a bit, add garlic, ginger and
- cardamom and sauté 2 more minutes.
- Add pork, sweet potato, dates, olives, tomatoes, lemon zest and juice, coconut milk. Separately mix water and cornstarch, then add.
- Bring up to simmer, reduce heat and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes.
- Serve topped torn mint leaves.
This post is sponsored by the awesome folks at Ontario Pork. Thanks in advance for supporting the great products that support EIEO.
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