Kerala pork roast/masala

Recipe adapted from here 

 

To pressure cook

Pork- 1 kg, cut into slightly big pieces, say about 1-1/1/4 inch cubes* (refer notes)

Sliced onion- 1/4 cup, sliced into thin juliennes

Ginger garlic paste- 1/2 tbsp

Kashmiri chilli powder- 1 1 /2 tsp

Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp (add more if you would like it spicier)

Coriander powder- 1 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1 tsp

Salt- to taste

Curry leaves- 1 sprig

To roast

Coconut oil- 2 tbsp

Onion- 1 cup, sliced into thin juliennes

Curry leaves- 1 big sprig

Ginger garlic paste- 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder- 1 1/2 tsp

Kashmiri Chilli powder- 1/2 tsp (add more if you want it spicier)

Pepper powder- 1 tsp (add more to enhance the taste, but remember it would make the dish spicier)

Garam masala- 1 tsp

Salt- to taste

To dry roast

Coconut oil- 1/2 tbsp

Meat masala- 1 tsp

Into a pressure cooker add the sliced pork along with all the other ingredients listed below.

Mix well (get in there and use your hands), till the masalas are almost evenly coated on the pork pieces.

Add 1/4 cup water and cook on high till the first whistle comes and then reduce heat to medium and cook for another 15 minutes*. Take off heat and open only after the steam subsides.

There should be some gravy along with pork, but not a lot. If you feel its too much, place the cooker back on heat and cook on high heat till a bit of the water evaporates.

Give a good stir and keep aside.

In another deep, heavy bottomed pan, heat the coconut oil and throw in the onions and curry leaves.

Keep heat on medium and saute till the onions turn light golden (not to crisp consistency, but still cooked well), at which point you add the ginger garlic paste.

Cook till the raw smell disappears.

Add the turmeric powder, stir for a few seconds, followed by coriander powder, chilli powder and pepper powder. If you feel that the pan is too hot and the masalas would burn, add a splash of water or the gravy from the cooked pork.

Tip in the entire contents of the pressure cooker into the pan and on high heat, mix everything together.

Reduce heat to medium, mix in the garam masala, and close and continue cooking for about 10 minutes. The oils would start to surface.

Open, check for salt, add more if needed. Give a good mix and take it off the heat.

The pork would be a semi gravy consistency at this point and absolutely perfect if you want to have it with appam and chapathi. I refrigerate or freeze it in this consistency.

Since i like mine a bit more drier with rice, this is what i do. (the first and third images are of this version)

I take out the required quantity, saute on high in coconut oil and sprinkle some meat masala towards the end (you can also add freshly ground pepper powder). Give one final stir and serve hot with rice and other sides.

*Notes: Puleezee do yourself a favour and add fat to your pork dishes. Trust me it makes a world of a difference. Don't do any of that lean pork shit on its own with any Kerala pork recipe, it will not come out well. We don't get to buy fat separate, so i use 500 gms of pork belly and 500 gms of shoulder or leg (which you can sub with lean meat to even out the cholesterol aspect:). If you do get to buy fat separately, then do around 700 to 750 of lean meat and the rest fat.

Cooking pork, the method and timing works for me, but your meat may be different, so cook accordingly. You can always let the steam off and open to check if its done and if not put it back on for a couple more whistles.

The original recipe sounded way more spicier and I'm sure it would be fantastic. We have ended up with weak tummies over the years and so have reduced the spice levels significantly. If you can handle spice, add more pepper powder for sure.