This recipe was given to me by my mother. She is a wonderful cook and someday I hope that I can be as good as her. This peppered pork dish is a mild meat dish. It does not have the typical "curry and spice" flavors of other Sri Lankan meat dishes.
Slice two medium onions. Slice some banana peppers or any kind of mild bell pepper. The peppers are optional, but I think they give a little color to the dish. Also have ready 2 tbs of grated garlic and 2 tbs of grated ginger.
Cut 4 small potatoes into cubes and boil them. Drain and set aside until later.
I had 3lbs of bone in pork chops for this recipe. I cubed the pork and left the bones in for added flavor.
Marinate the pork for about 15-20 minutes before cooking with:
2 tbs of cider vinegar
1 tbs of grated ginger
1 tbs of grated garlic
1 tbs of canola oil
salt and pepper (be heavy with the pepper).
After you have all the prep work done it's time to cook the pork. Heat 3tbs of oil in a pan and add:
1 cinnamon stick
3-4 pods of cardamom
3-4 cloves
Some curry leaves
Note:
If I ever use cardamom, cloves or cinnamon sticks make sure you discard these items before eating or avoid eating them. They are very strong tasting and are used just to flavor the food, but not so nice if you eat them alone. The curry leaves can be eaten... they are tasty. : )Add marinated pork and saute'.
Once the pork is opaque add sliced onions and sliced peppers. Also add the remaining 1tbs of garlic and 1tbs of ginger. Saute all ingredients and cover. Let cook for 10-15 minutes.
Now here is when it gets interesting... In a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, grind 10-12 cardamom pods and 1tbs of fennel seed.
Pound it until it is coarsely ground.
Add the ground mixture to a bowl and add 1-2 cups of milk. If you want a little extra gravy I would go with the 2 cups. I like some gravy so I added 2 cups. Let the spice mixture steep in the milk for at least 5-10 minutes.
Once the pork is cooked through add the boiled potatoes from earlier. Then strain the spice/ milk mixture with a strainer to the pork dish. You will need to strain the milk mixture because you don't want the pod and fennel pieces in the final dish. Simmer for another 5 minutes and check for salt.
Serve with rice. Enjoy. This dish should serve 4-6 people. I served it with my confetti fried rice and a mint-cucumber raita. These recipes will follow on another day. : )
Copyright: All content, photos and text are property of Curry and Comfort and cannot be used without permission
