Recipe | Pork madras

Making chicken curry can be quite tiresome. The breast requires all sorts of faffing to achieve the right consistency without drying the meat out, and thigh involves either fiddly boning beforehand or fiddling with bones afterwards. And I’m sorry, Jay, but I’ve got a bit of a thing about mucky, sticky fingers. Alas, we’ll never be bezzies. I’m sure you’ll get over it.

Anyway, pork bypasses this rather neatly. Slow-cooked and then reduced to a thick and unctuous perfection, it was just about the best homemade curry I e’er munched ‘pon.

Serves 2
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 clove
4 dried red chillies
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 green chillies, seeded and finely chopped
A small thumb of ginger, peeled and grated
500g diced pork shoulder
1 tin tomatoes
1 tin coconut milk
2 tsp tamarind paste
Salt, pepper, and sugar
Oil

– In a dry frying pan stir the spices over a medium heat until the aromas tickle your nostrils. Remove to a pestle and mortar or spice grinder and pound like yesterday’s beef. [NB If you don’t have a pestle and mortar use ground coriander, black pepper and clove and leave fennel seeds whole]. Add a little oil to the pan and fry the onions, garlic, ginger and green chillies until soft. Season with salt and add the ground spices and dried chillies. Stir for a further minute then add the pork. Leave to brown for 4-5 minutes, shaking the pan every now and then. The fat from the pork should stop the onions et al burning but keep a close eye.

– Add the tomatoes, coconut milk, and tamarind paste, season with a pinch of sugar and stir well. Bring to the boil, cover, and cook over a low heat for 1 hour. Remove lid, increase heat to medium and simmer for another 1/2 hour until the sauce is thick and gooey. Check the seasoning and serve with rice.

20 thoughts on “Recipe | Pork madras

  1. I rather like cooking chicken on the bone in curries for long enough that the meat slumps off the bone. Pork is a marvellous idea though, especially a nice fatty cut.

    • No, so do I. If you’re using chicken it’s really the only way IMO. Otherwise you faff around taking the chicken out and reducing the sauce. But pork rocks. Obviously.

  2. Lamb rocks, too, especially lamb from the leg cut into nice bite sized cubes–and soooo Indian.

  3. That’s such an original idea. I’m so curious to try this. If I was at home I would be chopping my red onion already.

    Something good to look forward to when I return. One of the many on this blog. They’re mounting up. I shall have to make a list.

  4. This is next on my curry list for sure – it looks delish! Pork is a great idea – the less faff the better as far as I’m concerned. Liking the inclusion of coconut milk – always good to have a add a touch of luxury to the proceedings.

  5. Happened onto this site yesterday…tried this recipe and it’s amazing…best curry ever made in our house and so easy that even I couldn’t screw it up!
    Now for your bourbon BBQ sauce……

  6. I’m currently doing a website of just Madras recipes by my friends mum http://www.madrasrecipe.com. I’ve never tried a pork madras before! I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be delicious though! That’s the great thing about MAdras curries, the recipe is not set in stone and varies quite a lot from person to person.

  7. I’m always a bit cautious about pork recipes, I always seem to make the pork tough. If I follow the recipe to the letter do you reckon the pork will be nice and tender for sure? I made a chicken one the other day that I found here http://chickenmadrasrecipe.com/ it turned out pretty good to be honest.

  8. This is an incredible recipe, thank you very much. I think people naturally turn to chicken as the simple option but as you say, when it comes to a curry it’s so easy to over cook, so this works perfectly. I love the sweet and sour element giving it an eastern touch and the dry fried spices give it a proper punch. I will certainly be returning to see what other cookery secrets you have to offer.

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