Dry-fried pork curry
Instructions:
- In this dish, the pork fries in its own fat. Delicious, but not to be indulged too often.
- 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp;
- 300 ml (10 fl oz) hot water;
- 1 kg (2 lb) pork belly or meaty spareribs, not too lean;
- 3 tablespoons oil;
- 200 ml (7 fl oz) canned coconut milk.
- Spices
- a sprig of fresh curry leaves;
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds;
- 2 large onions, finely chopped;
- 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped;
- 2.5 cm (1 in) piece fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated;
- 4 tablespoons Sri Lanka Curry Powder;
- 2 teaspoons chilli powder or to taste;
- 2 teaspoons salt;
- 1 tablespoon vinegar;
- 1 cinnamon quill;
- 5 cardamom pods, bruised.
- Soak the tamarind pulp in the hot water until cool enough to handle. Squeeze until all the pulp is dissolved. Strain through a nylon sieve. Discard the seeds and fibres and reserve the liquid.
- Cut the pork into large cubes, keeping any skin and fat on.
- Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan and fry the curry leaves and fenugreek seeds, stirring, until they start to brown. Add the onions and garlic and fry over a low heat until onion is soft and golden. Add the ginger, curry powder, chilli powder, salt and vinegar and mix well. Add the pork and fry on high heat, stirring frequently, until the pork is coated with the spice mixture. Pour in the tamarind liquid. Add the cinnamon and cardamom. Cover the pan and cook on gentle heat until the pork is tender, about 1 hour. Add the coconut milk and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
- Pour the gravy into another pan, return the first pan with the pork to the heat and allow to fry in its own fat, stirring and turning the pieces until browned. (If there is not sufficient fat to achieve this, add 1 tablespoon ghee or oil to help them fry.) Pour the gravy back into the pan and cook, uncovered, until the gravy is thick and a film of oil covers the surface. Serve hot with plain steamed rice and vegetable dishes.
- Use 4 tablespoons Charmaine Solomon’s Sri Lanka Curry Paste instead of all the Spice ingredients listed above.