Sri Lankan pork belly curry

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Pork belly is one of those amazing ingredients that gently melts and softens with time and heat until wobbling with flavour. Here, it’s cooked in a fragrant Sri Lankan spice mix, gently braising away until the sauce clings to the meat. You’ll need to start this recipe a day in advance to allow the pork to marinate, but it’s well worth it and a fantastic change of pace to the usual (often Indian) curries cooked at home.

Discover more delicious Sri Lankan recipes from the brilliant restaurant Kolamba in Soho here.

First published in 2020

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Roasted curry powder

Pork

Curry

To garnish

  • 1 green chilli, finely sliced into rounds
  • 1 red onion, small, sliced into rings
  • 2 limes, juiced

Method

1
The day before you plan to serve, make the roasted curry powder – this will leave you with more than you need for this recipe, but it can be stored in an airtight container. Toast all the ingredients in a dry frying pan for a few minutes until fragrant, then grind into a powder using a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. Store in an airtight container until needed
2
Place the pork in a bowl with a tablespoon of the roasted curry powder and the toasted chilli powder, turmeric, pepper and salt. Mix well and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight
3
To make the pink onion garnish, place the rings of red onion in a small bowl and cover with lime juice and a pinch of salt. Leave to pickle for at least a few hours (or ideally overnight) – they should turn pink
4
The next day, pour the vegetable oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the curry leaves, pandan and cinnamon stick and gently fry for 2 minutes. Add the onion and lemongrass, then fry for another 2 minutes
5
Add the green chillies, garlic and ginger and fry for 2 minutes until fragrant, then add the marinated pork and toss to combine. Continue cooking for 5 minutes
6
Add the tamarind, toasted chilli powder and another 2 tablespoons of the roasted curry powder, cook out for 1 minute, then pour in 125ml of water and lower the heat. Leave to simmer gently for 40 minutes
7
After this time, the pork should be soft and tender and the sauce should be quite dry, clinging to the meat. Add a little more water if it dries out too quickly or the pork needs a little longer to soften. Season to taste with salt
8
To serve, transfer the pork curry to a serving dish (discarding the pandan and lemongrass if desired), then garnish with the pink pickled onions and finely sliced green chilli

Kolamba is a Sri Lankan restaurant in Soho, London, owned by Eroshan and Aushi Meewella.

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