Sri Lankan Pork Belly Curry

(O Tama Carey)

This is the most divine curry recipe by Sydney based O Tama Carey who has a fantastic Sri Lankan restaurant in Darlinghurst called Lankan Filling Station.  The curry is worth the four hours that it takes to slow cook in the oven.  The flavours are divine and the pork belly melts in the mouth. This recipe is in Tama’s cookbook Lanka Food which I highly recommend.

It is a dry curry so if you prefer a bit more liquid use more coconut cream. I used most of a 450ml can of coconut cream.  I’ve made the curry powder on several occasions and have used it with lamb, chicken and white fish. It makes quite a large quantity which you can store in a container.  I also do not grind the mix but use the electric coffee grinder that I use solely for spice mixes. I don’t have the patience to hand grind!

INGREDIENTS

The red curry powder (makes approx 150g)

• 5 g curry leaves

• 24 g sweet paprika

• 20 g chilli powder

• 20 g coriander seeds

• 15 g white peppercorns

• 13 g chilli flakes

• 12 g cumin seeds

• 10 g cardamom seeds

• 8 g fennel seeds

• 8 g cinnamon quill, roughly crushed

• 7 g turmeric powder

• 5 g fenugreek seeds

• 3 g cloves

• 3 g star anise

The curry

• 1 kg piece pork belly, skin on, chilled

• 30 g coconut oil

• 340 g diced red onion

• 2 long red chillies, finely chopped

• 1 x 20cm (8in) pandan leaf, tied into a knot

• 4 g curry leaves

• 30 g finely chopped garlic

• 20 g finely chopped ginger

• 40 g red curry powder

• 14 cardamom pods, bruised

• 3 star anise

• 2 cinnamon quills

• 1 pinch each salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

• 25 g tamarind concentrate

• 150g coconut cream

Method

The red curry powder

• Place the curry leaves in a frying pan over a medium-high heat and cook gently for about 2 minutes

• Reduce the heat a little and cook for another 1-2 minutes until they are dry and toasted, but not browned

• Allow the leaves to cool completely, then combine them with the remaining spices and grind to a fine powder. Store in an airtight container

  
  

The pork curry

• Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2

• Cut the pork belly into 5 x 1.5cm (2 x 0.5 in) slices and set aside. It is easier to do this when the meat is cold

• Melt the coconut oil in a large flameproof casserole dish or baking dish over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chilli, pandan and curry leaves and continue cooking and stirring for another minute or so

• Stir in the garlic and ginger, then turn up the heat before adding the curry powder and whole spices. Keep cooking until the spices darken and start to stick to the pan, about 3-4 minutes

• Add the pork and stir to coat and brown the meat for about 6-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper

• Mix the tamarind and 450ml (15fl oz) water, then pour this into the dish with the pork and use a spoon to scrape the edges and the bottom of the pan

• Add the coconut cream and bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes, then remove from heat, cover with lid or foil and place it in the oven to cook for 3 hours, removing it to stir a few times

• After 3 hours, turn the oven down to 110°C/230°F/gas mark 1 and remove the lid or foil. By this stage, the gravy should be mostly dried out

• Let the pork cook for a further 50-60 minutes uncovered, stirring once or twice. Once it’s cooked the pork pieces will be looking nicely roasted, there will be little gravy left in the pan and the whole dish will have a lovely oiliness to it