Publications
Easy pork masala with coconut milk
A marbled cut of pork such as shoulder or neck remains juicy when slowly braised in a sauce. This curry is so easy to prepare and full of flavour!
Serves 6
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours
Oven temperature: 200°C
- 1kg boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2cm chunks
- 15ml leaf masala (or curry powder)
- about 100ml cornflour
- salt and pepper to taste
- 45ml olive oil
- 60ml butter
- 2 large onions, peeled and grated
- 5ml each cumin and fennel seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tin (400g) tomato purée
- 1 tin (400ml) coconut milk (or cream if you prefer a richer curry)
- 10ml extra leaf masala
- 5ml turmeric
- 2 green chillies, chopped
- 10ml brown sugar
- 10ml garam masala
- 800g butternut, cut into small cubes
- 30ml olive oil
- 1 tin (400g) butter beans, drained
- a bunch (80g) coriander, chopped
1. Season the pork with salt and pepper; mix the cornflour and masala together and coat the meat.
2. Melt the butter and oil together in a large casserole with a tight-fitting lid and brown the meat gently. Work in batches to avoid crowding the pan. Scoop out the crispy pork and fry the onion and whole spice in the remaining oil. Add about 200ml warm water to allow the onion to cook gently if it starts to brown too quickly.
3. Once the water has evaporated, add the tomatoes, coconut milk and bay leaves to the onion. Add the meat back to the sauce and stir until well combined. Flavour with the extra masala, turmeric, chillies, garam masala and sugar. Add a little extra water if the sauce consistency looks too thick, cover with a lid and allow the curry to simmer gently for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours until the meat is melt-in-your-mouth tender. Stir every now and again to make sure that the sauce doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pot.
4. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 200°C. Spread the vegetables on a baking sheet and coat well with oil. Season with salt and pepper and roast for about 30 minutes or until tender. Grill for 5 minutes to ensure lovely charred bits.
5. Stir the roasted vegetables and butter beans into the rich, velvety curry. Sprinkle some chopped coriander over the top and taste for seasoning. Serve with rotis, fluffy steamed rice and your favourite sambals.
Tip: If you want to add more body to the curry, consider including some meaty pork bones. They will add superb depth and rich flavour to the gravy and as the bones often contain a good amount of meat, they will stretch the meal further. Meaty bones are often displayed at the meat counter but you can also order in advance to make sure they are available when you visit your butcher.
Pork masala phyllo parcels
Everyone knows that curry tastes even better the day after it’s been prepared and if you have leftover pork masala, a great way of serving it is in crispy phyllo parcels. The quantities given here are for a half batch of pork masala but it’s easy to prepare more parcels, depending on how much you have.
Tip If you want to add bulk to your curry, simply mix in extra butter beans or even parboiled rice.
Makes 9 phyllo parcels
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 20–25 minutes
Oven temperature: 200°C
- ½ batch of easy pork masala
- 6 sheets of phyllo pastry
- about 125ml butter, melted
- 15ml sesame seeds
1. Preheat the oven. Paint three sheets of phyllo pastry with butter and layer another sheet on each. Now cut each double-sheet into three strips of the same width. Work with one strip at a time and place the rest of the pastry under a damp cloth to prevent it from drying out.
2. Brush the pastry strip lightly with melted butter and add a generous dollop of the pork curry just above the lowest corner (see sketch). Fold the pastry from the bottom up over the filling, until the entire strip is used up, to form a triangular parcel. Make sure that the tips are sealed properly and place the parcel on a greased baking tray or one lined with baking paper. Repeat with all 9 strips.
3. Brush the phyllo parcels with any remaining butter, sprinkle with the sesame seeds and bake for 20–25 minutes or until golden-brown and crispy.
