Name: Pork balchao
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 4 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 onion finely chopped; 700g pork shoulder diced; 1 tbsp jaggery or soft dark brown sugar (see notes below); 100ml malt vinegar; to serve chapatis or rice; 2 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp black peppercorns; 8 cloves garlic roughly chopped; 2 thumb-sized pieces ginger chopped; 1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder or mild chilli powder (see notes below); 1 tsp ground turmeric

4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion
finely chopped
700g pork shoulder
diced
1 tbsp jaggery or soft dark brown sugar
(see notes below)
100ml malt vinegar
to serve chapatis or rice

PASTE

2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
8 cloves garlic
roughly chopped
2 thumb-sized pieces ginger
chopped
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder or mild chilli powder
(see notes below)
1 tsp ground turmeric

Method

step 1
To make the paste, use a pestle and mortar to grind the cumin and black pepper to a rough powder, then tip into a small blender or food processor with the remaining paste ingredients and whizz until smooth.
step 2
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed, lidded pan over a medium heat. Fry the onion for 18-20 minutes, stirring well, until deep golden and soft. Add the spice paste and fry for 2 minutes. Add the pork, mix well and cook for 8-10 minutes. Add the sugar, vinegar, 100ml of water and some seasoning. Lower the heat and simmer for 40 minutes with a lid on, stirring halfway through. Remove the lid and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Cool slightly and serve with chapatis or rice, if you like.