Pork, beef & lamb· GF · DF

Jungle Pork

Name: Jungle Pork
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 40 min
Total time: 1 h 55 min
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 600g diced pork; 2 (300g) onions; 1 (~280g) aubergine; ½ head (175g) broccoli, small florets; 30ml tamari or soy sauce; 5 dried lime leaves; 1 lime; 20g basil + coriander; 20ml rapeseed oil; 10g light brown sugar; 10g cornflour; 2g salt; 250ml water; 5 cloves garlic; 25g fresh ginger; 2 stems lemongrass; 15g galangal paste; 3 (30g) green + red chillies; 1g chilli powder; 2g ground coriander; 1g turmeric; 1g pepper

Punchy, broth-style Thai jungle curry (no coconut) of shredded pork, roasted aubergine and broccoli.

makes 16 blocks, about 59p each

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BatchJoy

batchjoy.com/recipes/jungle-pork/

Time: 1 hr 55 min15 min prep · 1 hr 40 min cook
Makes: 16 blocks
Cost per blockPer block: 59p
Calories per blockCalories: 83 kcal
Spice: 4 of 5

You’ll need

Batch size

blocks

600gdiced pork
2 (300g)onions
1 (~280g)aubergine
½ head (175g)broccoli, small florets
30mltamari or soy sauce
5dried lime leaves
1lime
20gbasil + coriander
20mlrapeseed oil
10glight brown sugar
10gcornflour
2gsalt
250mlwater

For the paste

5 clovesgarlic
25gfresh ginger
2 stemslemongrass
15ggalangal paste
3 (30g)green + red chillies
1gchilli powder
2gground coriander
1gturmeric
1gpepper

or 3 tbsp (about 50g) Thai red curry paste

Allergens: Soya. Check the labels on stock cubes, sauces and pastes, as brands vary.

Serve it

Jasmine rice · Rice noodles in extra broth · Cauliflower rice

Method

Step 1: Heat the oven to 200°C fan. Toss the aubergine, cut into 2cm cubes, in 10ml oil and roast until golden. (25 min)
Step 2: Meanwhile blitz the paste: lemongrass (outer layers removed), garlic, ginger, galangal, chillies, coriander stalks and the ground spices. (5 min)
Step 3: Fry the sliced onion in 10ml oil until soft (5 min), then the paste until fragrant. (2 min)
Step 4: Add the pork, tamari, sugar, lime leaves and water. Cover and simmer gently until the pork shreds. (60 min)
Step 5: Shred the pork with two forks. Stir in the roasted aubergine and the broccoli and simmer. (5 min)
Step 6: Thicken with the cornflour mixed into 2 tbsp cold water. (1 min) Off the heat, add the lime juice and torn herbs. Cool and freeze.

Milder: use 1 green chilli, deseeded, and leave out the chilli powder.

Nutrition (estimated)
	kcal	protein	carbs	fat	fibre	salt
Per block	83	9.2g	4.9g	2.9g	3.9g	0.46g
Per 3 blocks	249	27.6g	14.7g	8.7g	11.7g	1.38g

Cook’s notes

500g pork and a second aubergine gives 16 lighter blocks at about 52p each.
Pork shoulder steaks shred more softly than diced leg but cost more.
3 tbsp Thai red curry paste replaces the fresh paste for a quicker version.

Serve it

Jasmine rice · Rice noodles in extra broth · Cauliflower rice.

Freeze, reheat and serve

Freeze: Cool it within two hours, portion it into 70g blocks in a silicone tray, then bag and label them. It keeps for 3 months.
Reheat: Microwave 3 blocks, covered, for 1 minute, stir, then heat for another 1 to 2 minutes until piping hot all the way through. Or warm them in a pan with a splash of water. Never refreeze thawed blocks.
A portion: 3 blocks (210g) make a dinner for one adult: about 249 kcal and 27.6g protein before rice, bread or potatoes.

Jungle Pork questions

What if I can't find galangal paste or lime leaves?

Use a little more fresh ginger in place of the galangal paste. For the lime leaves, the finely grated zest of the lime gives a similar fragrance; add it with the juice at the end.

Can I use chicken instead of pork?

Chicken thighs work well. Simmer them for about 30 minutes, until they shred, instead of the full hour, and keep the rest of the method the same.

Why roast the aubergine separately?

Roasting turns it golden and slightly smoky and helps it keep its shape. Simmered raw in the broth, it would go soft and soak up the liquid instead.