Pork chops with peppercorn sauce & Rice with almonds and raisins

This was my dinner tonight, which I cooked myself :D I started cooking properly only at the beginning of this year. I first came into contact with cooking during my home economics lessons in secondary two, but that was like 5 years ago already. :O how time flies!!! Between then and now, I was always too busy and never had the time to try out cooking further, until now. Since I’m so free, or rather QUITE free, I’ve decided to start cooking again, properly. And I LOVE IT. :D it’s really fun! And I feel really happy when I cook a successful meal ;D I don’t cook too often, usually once a week, but I’m already addicted. Which is why I bought a humongous cookbook (maybe I’ll show it to the rest of you another time) a couple of weeks back and I’ve started cooking from it (:

Here are the recipes for today’s dinner. I made up stuff myself here and there, so its not really the original recipe (: I’m definitely NOT an expert, just sharing my love of food & cooking :D

Pork Chops with Peppercorn Sauce

Ingredients:

6 lean pork chops

Herb seasoning (any will do)

2 tbsp corn flour

20g of butter

A clove of garlic

4 tbsp hua tiao wine

1½ tbsp peppercorns in brine, rinsed, drained and lightly crushed 

150ml chicken stock

4 tbsp greek yogurt

1. Trim the pork chops of excess fats and marinate with some corn flour. Sprinkle the herb seasoning on one side.

2. Heat some oil in a large frying pan on medium heat and fry the chops with the seasoned side down. In the meantime, sprinkle the seasoning on the other side as well. Fry the chops for 6-8min on each side, until slightly golden brown. Remove from the pan.

3. To make the sauce: Melt the butter in the pan and fry the garlic for about 3min. Stir in the wine and simmer for about 1min. Add the peppercorns (unfortunately I ran out of them, so I didn’t add them L) and stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3min or until slightly reduced.

3. Stir in the crème fraîche*, spoon the sauce over the chops and serve.

*Since I did not have crème fraîche, I substituted it with greek yogurt. Another alternative is sour cream. I’m not exactly sure where crème fraîche can be bought, but I suppose threesixtymarketplace in ION Orchard should probably have it.

Rice with Almonds and Raisins

Ingredients:

Rice (depends on the amount your family eats)

4tbsp raisins

1 carrot

70g almonds, lightly toasted/baked

4 tbsp light olive oil

juice of ½ lemon

1 tbsp chopped mint

1. Cook the rice, then fluff the grains up so that they become slightly drier.

2. Dice the carrot into small pieces.

2. Add some oil to a pot large enough to fit all the rice and fry the almonds and carrots for about 2-3min. Add the rice to the pot and fry them together for another 4-5min then add the raisins and give the whole mixture a stir.

3. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and mint (I didn’t have mint >.<) and stir into the rice before serving.

- If you don’t like sour food much, skip the lemon juice and just go with the olive oil and mint. This dish tasted slightly kooky (I don’t actually know what this means, but it seems to fit :P) so…if you’re slightly hesitant, you don’t have to try it ;D

Goodnight! (: