Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry

Name: Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 5 servings
Cuisine: Sri Lankan
Ingredients: 2 lb boneless pork shoulder, in 1-inch cubes; 3½ tbsp curry powder (to dark-roast); 1 large onion, finely chopped; 6 garlic cloves, sliced; 2-inch piece ginger, minced; 2 green chilies, half chopped, half sliced; 1 tbsp lemongrass paste; 1 tbsp tamarind paste; 2 cups basmati or jasmine rice; 2 tbsp oil; 2 tbsp vinegar; 2 tsp black pepper; 2 tsp chili powder; 1 tsp turmeric; 1 cinnamon stick; 4 green cardamom pods; 2 cloves; 1½ tsp salt

DinnerSri Lankan120 minServes 5825 kcal38 g protein

Pork shoulder braised until tender in a nearly black, deeply roasted curry powder with lots of black pepper, tamarind and lemongrass. Smoky, peppery and sour, it is one of the island's most famous curries.

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Ingredients

2 lb boneless pork shoulder, in 1-inch cubes
3½ tbsp curry powder (to dark-roast)
1 large onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, sliced
2-inch piece ginger, minced
2 green chilies, half chopped, half sliced
1 tbsp lemongrass paste
1 tbsp tamarind paste
2 cups basmati or jasmine rice

From your pantry: 2 tbsp oil, 2 tbsp vinegar, 2 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 cinnamon stick, 4 green cardamom pods, 2 cloves, 1½ tsp salt.

Instructions

Toast the curry powder in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it turns very dark brown and smells smoky, 4 to 6 minutes. Do not let it burn black-bitter. Tip it onto a plate.
Toss the pork with 3 tbsp of the roasted curry powder, the vinegar, black pepper, turmeric, garlic, ginger and 1½ tsp salt. Marinate at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge.
Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium. Fry the onion, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and chopped chilies until soft and golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the lemongrass and chili powder for 1 minute.
Add the pork and its marinade, the tamarind and 1½ cups water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low, stirring now and then, until the pork is fork-tender, about 1¼ hours. Start the rice in the last 20 minutes.
Uncover and boil hard, stirring, until the gravy has reduced to a thick dark coating, 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining roasted curry powder, cover off the heat for 5 minutes, and serve over rice with the sliced chilies.

Tip: Sri Lankan cooks use goraka (a dried sour fruit) instead of tamarind, and add curry leaves and pandan with the onion. A ready-made Sri Lankan roasted curry powder from a South Asian grocer is even better than toasting your own.