Pork, beef & lamb

Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry

Name: Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h 5 min
Total time: 2 h 35 min
Cuisine: Sri Lankan
Ingredients: 1kg trimmed (buy ~1.2kg) pork shoulder, boneless, fat trimmed, 3cm chunks; 2 (300g) onions, finely sliced; 6 cloves (30g) garlic, crushed; 30g fresh ginger, grated; 20 curry leaves; 15g (1 tbsp) basmati rice, uncooked; 15g coriander seeds; 6g (2 tsp) cumin seeds; 4g (2 tsp) fennel seeds; 8g cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, black peppercorns; 4 (3g) dried red chillies; 8g hot chilli powder; 30g (2 tbsp) tamarind paste; 40ml cider vinegar; 10g light brown sugar; 20ml rapeseed oil; 450ml water; 6g salt

Pork shoulder in a dark, smoky curry made with spices and rice toasted until almost black, sharpened with tamarind and vinegar.

makes 19 blocks, about 56p each

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Illustration of a bowl of Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry

Time: 2 hr 35 min30 min prep · 2 hr 5 min cook
Makes: 19 blocks
Cost per blockPer block: 56p
Calories per blockCalories: 104 kcal
Spice

Ingredients

Batch size

blocks

1kg trimmed (buy ~1.2kg)pork shoulder, boneless, fat trimmed, 3cm chunks
2 (300g)onions, finely sliced
6 cloves (30g)garlic, crushed
30gfresh ginger, grated
20curry leaves
15g (1 tbsp)basmati rice, uncooked
15gcoriander seeds
6g (2 tsp)cumin seeds
4g (2 tsp)fennel seeds
8gcinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, black peppercorns
4 (3g)dried red chillies
8ghot chilli powder
30g (2 tbsp)tamarind paste
40mlcider vinegar
10glight brown sugar
20mlrapeseed oil
450mlwater
6gsalt

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

Nutrition

estimated

	1 block	3 blocks
Energy	104 kcal	312 kcal
Protein	11.2g	33.6g
Carbs	4.9g	14.7g
Fat	4.5g	13.5g
Fibre	1.2g	3.6g
Salt	0.4g	1.2g

Method

Step 1: Toast the rice in a dry pan over a medium heat, stirring, until golden. Add the seeds, whole spices and dried chillies and stir until dark brown and smoky but not burnt. Cool and grind finely. (10 min)
Step 2: Toss the pork with the powder, chilli powder and vinegar.
Step 3: Fry the curry leaves in the oil in a casserole over a medium heat for 30 seconds, then the onions until golden. Add the garlic and ginger for 1 minute. (10 min)
Step 4: Add the pork and stir over a high heat until it starts to colour. (5 min)
Step 5: Stir in the tamarind, sugar and water, cover and simmer gently until tender. (1 hour 30 min)
Step 6: Uncover and simmer, stirring often, until thick and dark. Add the salt. (15 min)
Step 7: Cool and freeze in 70g blocks.

Milder: leave out the dried chillies and halve the chilli powder.

Serve it

Basmati rice with coconut sambol · Rice and a simple lentil dal · Flatbreads with red onion and lime

Nutrition (estimated)
	kcal	protein	carbs	fat	fibre	salt
Per block	104	11.2g	4.9g	4.5g	1.2g	0.4g
Per 3 blocks	312	33.6g	14.7g	13.5g	3.6g	1.2g

Cook’s notes

Toast the spices dark but keep the heat medium and keep stirring: a burnt batch turns bitter. The powder keeps in a jar for a month.
Cider vinegar keeps this gluten-free; the malt vinegar often used in Sri Lanka contains gluten.

Serve it

Basmati rice with coconut sambol · Rice and a simple lentil dal · Flatbreads with red onion and lime.

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 312 kcal and 33.6g protein before rice, bread or potatoes.

Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry questions

Why toast the rice with the spices?

The rice turns dark and nutty as it toasts, and once ground it thickens the curry and deepens the colour. It is what gives a black curry its body and roasted flavour.

Can I use ready-made curry powder?

You can use 35g of Sri Lankan roasted curry powder in place of the seeds, whole spices and rice. Toast it in a dry pan for a minute or two until it darkens a shade before adding it to the pork.

What can I use instead of curry leaves?

There is no close swap, so leave them out if you can't find them. Most large supermarkets and Asian grocers sell them fresh, and they freeze well in a bag.