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Pork Madras

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Pork Madras curry sounds familiar? Well if you have tried my Beef and Pork (minced meat) Madras it will, but this is whole different ball game;-) Pork Madras is not something that you will see on any Indian takeaway or restaurant menu, 'cause folks from that part of the world don't eat pork. Here though I'm using shoulder of pork that I brought as a whole joint and the diced down. Much cheaper than those pre-diced, pre-packed little boxes and all you need is a very sharp chef's knife.

Nutty's TOP TIP - There's less fat here than in minced meat so it is truely another level Pork Madras. If it's too hot for you, here's a little tip - add some ghee... Why I hear you screaming? Well the fat coats your tongue so the spices appear gentler, that's why when you buy a Take-Away it has buttery stuff sitting on the top... They added ghee ;-)

So lets "Nutty" up some spicy peppery tamarind touched Pork Madras! This is truely spicy, so get your BIG PANTS pants image on! First rule of thumb - DON'T PANIC! Get some little pots and take it step by step. You can still make this curry with a shop bought curry paste, it'll work, but nowhere near the level this home made paste reaches! I'm again going to share my Madras Curry Masala Paste with you, but I have some in the fridge left over from when I made my beef & pork madras curry, so I'll use that :¬P. The recipe for this paste is enough for 2 curries. It'll keep for ages in a sealed jar in the fridge - you only need 3 Tblsp! (I'm not going to re-tell my experience of forgetting the just 3 tblsp here!)

To clarify, the flavour of any dish is difficult to articulate, but this Pork Madras is peppery tart from tamarind and spices, full of aromatic flavourings from star anis, cardamom, cloves and black peppercorns, every little slice of green chilli talks to your tongue. It's that memory of a just got in from the pub with your Take-Away in hand kinda curry that you wake up the next day & just want more of! Okay! I feel I'm rambling, so let's cook a Curry!

Click the Method tab below to see a step by step guide on how to make my Pork Madras with pictures.

pork madras curry finished

ingredients

Here's what you need :¬)

serves 4 - 6

for Madras Masala Curry Paste

  • 2 Tblsp black pepper corns
  • 2 Tblsp coriander seeds
  • 2 Tblsp cumin
  • 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
  • 2 Tblsp vegetable oil
  • 6 cloves garlic diced
  • 5 cm fresh ginger diced
  • 1 Tblsp hot chilli powder
  • 1 Tblsp Kashmiri chilli powder
  • 1 Tblsp turmeric

for the Curry

  • 1 large onion sliced
  • 4 green cardamom pods
  • 2 star anise
  • 3 whole cloves
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 3 Tblsp Madras Masala paste
  • 4 green chillies sliced length ways
  • 450g cubed shoulder of pork
  • 1 Tblsp tomato paste
  • 1 450g plum tomatoes*

*Mashed down with a potato masher, fork or food blender.

  • 1/2 tin water
  • 1 red, green and yellow pepper - sliced
  • 2 Tblsp tamarind paste ( to taste )
  • 1 tsp salt ( to taste )
  • 1 tsp sugar ( to taste )
  • 2 large red chilli sliced
  • Fresh or frozen coriander
  • 1 to 2 Tblsp ghee (optional)

method

To make my Pork Madras curry, you'll need to have all the spices ready to go i.e. measure the spices out and put them into little pots and have all the other ingredients ready to use so that you can hit the road running with this one.

Here's a couple of pic's to show how I prepare stuff:

ingredients for the curry minus the peppers & tomatoes
ingredients
Ingredients prepared for the masala paste
ingredients spices

The first thing we'll do is make the Madras Masala Paste so, here we go:

  1. Put all your whole spices into one pot - not star anis
  2. Put the pre-ground into another
  3. Get a dry frying pan & heat to medium hot
  4. Put the whole spices into the pan
  5. Move the spices around occasionally
toast the whole spices
whole spices toasting

Don't walk off 'cause spices burn easily. Once the aroma's fill the room and you see a shine to the pan - the spices have released their oil and are now ready to cool.

I put mine into a pestle and mortar, so they cool quickly. Once cooled you can grind them to a fine powder and congratulate yourself for the work out ;-) I use an electric spice grinder as I have "0" patience and I do love a gadget!

  1. Mix all the spices together
mix all the spices together
spices mixed

Pop a little oil into a lidded pot & shake, that will make it easier to combine your mix, then add your finely diced ginger & garlic and the spices. Top up with just enough oil to wet the paste:

  1. Put some oil in a pot
  2. Chop your garlic and ginger down finely & add to pot
  3. Add your spice mix
  4. Add some oil & mix to wet the paste
spice, ginger & garlic mix in a pot
spices in jar

See! Simpler than a mile walk to a shop to buy a pot, no dubious additives included :-)

to make the curry

  1. Heat a heavy bottomed pan to med heat
  2. Add 2 Tblsp of oil
  3. Add your onions to brown them off*

*Again we want these browned so here's 20 minutes of your life you will never get back.

When the onions are brown:

  1. Lower the heat
  2. Add your whole spices to warm though
  3. Return the masala paste to the pan
  4. Stir fry until the room smells amazing*

*From now on be gentle as you do not want to bash up the star anise and break some ones tooth!

madras base done
madras paste cooking 2
  1. Set the madras base aside
madras base, peppers & tomatoes
curry paste, peppers & tomatoes

Now let's concentrate on the meat:

diced pork
diced pork
  1. Add your meat in 3 stages to brown*

*Browning it off in stages keeps the pan hot & stops the meat releasing water, if the pan cools and water is released, the meat will boil, which we don't want!

brown the meat
browning meat
  1. Once it's all brown set it aside**

**Allow the meat to rest for as long as it has been browning for, this will allow the meat to relax and the juices to soak back into the meat so that it becomes tender

  1. Put the masala base back into the pan
  2. Add the turmeric & stir gently
  3. Allow it to warm through for a minute
  4. Add the pulped tomatoes & 1/2 tin of water
add the pulped tomatoes
tomatoes added to paste
  1. Stir to combine with the masala base
  2. Heat gently until hot
  3. Tip the meat back into the pan
  4. Stir gently
stir the meat into the mixture
tomatoes madras paste cooking with meat
  1. Cover and simmer very gently for 1hr
  2. Add your peppers, red chilli & tamarind paste
add peppers, red chilli & tamarind
peppers added to pan
  1. Let the dish get hot again
  2. Allow the peppers to soften to your liking
allow the peppers to soften
peppers softening

Once hot, get it to a consistency you're happy with and the peppers are to your liking. Find & remove the star anise if you can! Taste the dish, add salt sugar as required. Stir well & taste again ( add ghee if required ) adjusting the seasoning as needed. Once you are happy, add fresh or frozen coriander.

add coriander
coriander added to pan
  1. Stir & allow to cook for 2 mins

Setting the dish into a fridge overnight will improve the flavour as the spices will mature, I advise you to do this, but it is purely optional. Please be sure to tell your guests that the dish contains whole spices, especially if you didn't find the star anis!

pork madras curry finished
pork madras curry finished
pork madras and basmati rice
pork madras and basmati rice

Serving suggestion

Pork Madras with Basmati Rice, Garlic & coriander Buttered Naan Bread.