Ayurveda always emphasizes being in touch with the current season and using whatever fresh fruits and vegetables are available. One of the great things about California is that we get a variety of fresh produce throughout the year. I recently obtained a large tray of fresh figs and had to figure out how to use them. Besides gobbling up as many as I could and freezing some, I needed to figure out a way to cook some as an entrée. Thus I came up with the following recipe:
Roasted pork with fresh figs
Ingredients:
1 pound of ground pork
1 tablespoon turmeric
2 teaspoons clove powder
2 teaspoon coriander powder
half teaspoon allspice
half teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon salt (add more to taste)
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 fresh figs, sliced into thin strips
Directions:
— in saucepan, heat olive oil and cumin.
— when cumin is browning, add the pork and remainder of spices. Stir well to blend all the spices evenly in the pork.
— Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
— once the meat is fully cooked, scatter the fresh figs throughout the saucepan and stir well.
— Turn off heat and cover. The remaining heat is just enough to lightly caramelize the figs and allow the various Indian spices to permeate them and create a sweet spicy flavor.
Serves 4 people. Pairs well with brown rice, naan or chapati. Try it out and let me know how it turns out!
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