Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry
User Reviews
4.9
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Cook Time
1 hr 20 mins
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Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
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Servings
4 generous
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Course
Side Dish, Main Course, Dinner, Others
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Cuisine
gluten-free
Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry
Description
Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry begins with pork loin or shoulder cut into cubes and marinated in a spice mix made from ground black pepper, crushed cardamom seeds, Sri Lankan roasted curry powder, salt, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and tamarind paste. This marinade infuses the meat with heat, warmth, and slight acidity and is allowed to develop its flavors over several hours or overnight.
When ready to cook, aromatic ingredients such as bay leaves, minced ginger, garlic, chopped onions, and sliced jalapeños or serrano peppers are sautéed until onions are translucent. The marinated pork and a bit of sugar are added along with water, and the curry simmers slowly for about an hour until the pork is tender and the flavors meld.
This curry showcases the layers of spices characteristic to Sri Lankan cuisine, with a balance of heat from the cayenne and jalapeños, pungency from the black pepper and cardamom, and sour notes from the tamarind. The cooking process results in tender pork cubes coated in a thick, aromatic sauce suited for serving over rice.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb pork loin chops or shoulder - a pork cut with some fat is preferable for this curry
Marinade
- 4 tsp black pepper whole
- 6 cardamom pods seeds crushed (only the seeds)
- 1 curry powder recipe link available above, Sri Lankan roasted, heaped teaspoon
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper optional
- 3 tsp tamarind paste
Curry
- 2 jalapeno pepper sliced (or 2 serrano peppers if you prefer more heat
- 1 inch ginger minced, peeled
- 3 garlic minced, cloves
- ½ onion chopped finely, medium
- 1 tbsp lemon juice optional
- 2-3 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp sugar
- salt more, to taste
Instructions
- Cut the pork into ½ - 1 inch cubes. If the pork chops have bones you can add those to the curry as well, as they add more flavour.
- Crush the cardamom pod seeds into a powder and mix it with the black pepper, curry powder, salt, cinnamon, cayenne pepper. Next, crush and mix all of this together using a mortar and pestle.
- Add 2 tbsp of this spice mix, the tamarind paste, and 1 tbsp oil to the cut pork and mix to coat. Leave to marinate for a few hours (up to 8 hours/overnight)
- The next day, bring the meat to room temperature before cooking.
- Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the bay leaves and ginger and onions, and saute till the onions become translucent. Add the garlic and sliced jalapeno peppers and saute for another 30 seconds.
- Add the marinated pork and sugar and stir to mix well. Add about ½ cup of water and bring this to a boil.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 1 hour. Check on the curry, and add extra water if it dries out.
- Taste and add more salt and some lemon juice - only if needed.
- You can serve this curry immediately, but it tastes better after it has rested for a little while. Even better the next day!
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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