Ingredients
- 1 kg of pork with fat and skin, cut into cubes or an equivalent amount of tofu
- potato or rice flour if using tofu
- 10 fat cloves of finely chopped garlic
- 1-inch ginger piece, finely chopped
- 3-4 green chillies, finely chopped. Deseeded if you want to reduce the heat
- 10-15 curry leaves
- 1 big onion, finely sliced
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 cup of water
- little oil
- salt to taste
- 0.5 – 1 tablespoon of kachampuli (adjust to taste)
For the spice mix:
- 2 tablespoons of coriander seeds
- 1-inch cassia bark (most cinnamon sold in shops is cassia)
- 5-6 cloves
- 10-15 peppercorns
- 0.5 – 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 10-12 methi/fenugreek seeds
- 10-15 curry leaves
If using tofu:
- cube the tofu and let drain for a bit
- roll/cover the tofu in the flour as listed
- shallow or deep fry until all sides are slightly golden, if needed do it in batches
- In the rest of the recipe, use instead of pork, reducing the amount of water listed as required to maintain semi-dry consistency
Method:
Cook the pork with garlic, green chillies, curry leaves, onions, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, a little oil, water and salt till it’s tender. If using poorer quality meat, consider pressure cooking
Add the spice mix to the cooked meat. You can add a little oil, but there should be enough from the meat. Cook on a slow heat for about 5-10 minutes until the water evaporates, the fat separates, and the spices have blended well with the meat.
do a quick taste check – add kachampuli and more salt if required
Remove from the heat and serve with rotis, dosa or rise
Notes:
- kachampuli or coorgi vinegar is devices from a fruit called Kudampuli in Malam and Gambooge/Malabar Tamarind/Garcinia Cambogia in English. If you don’t have it, you can substitute it with an equal amount of thick tamarind juice or, as a last resort, lime juice in a slightly higher amount. Kachampuli is available in most stores in Mangalore and in Lulu Hypermarket in Dubai in the section which stocks up on food-related to Malabar/Keralite cuisine