Assam Pork Curry
An easy, quick recipe for assam pork curry, prepared with sliced marbled pork or pork belly, curry spice, chilli paste, lemon grass, fresh curry leaves, and generous amount of coconut milk. Source (with adaptation): 'Quick & Easy Hawker's Fare' by Chef Alan Koh.
Ingredients
- 500 g lean or marbled pork
- 5 tbsp vegetable oil
Curry Spices:
- 8 tbsp chopped shallots
- 3 stalks lemon grass
- 5 tbsp chilli paste
- 2 tbsp meat curry powder
- 3 sprigs curry leaves
- 5 pieces dried tamarind peel
Curry Sauce:
- 2 tbsp tamarind pulp
- 200 ml water for tamarind pulp
- 250 ml water
- 200 - 250 ml coconut milk
Seasonings:
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 - 1 ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Slice pork into 2-cm (1-inch) thick chunks, or 6-mm thick stir-fry slices.
- Mix tamarind pulp with 200 ml water. Rub the pulp in water with your fingers and strain to obtain the juice.
- Cut each lemon grass stalk about 2-3 inches away from its base. Discard the top. Bruise lightly with the back of a knife or pestle.
- Heat up oil in a wok or cooking pot over medium heat. When hot, add shallots and stir-fry for a minute or so until fragrant.
- Add lemon grass, chilli paste, curry powder, curry leaves and tamarind slices.
- Stir fry together until the mixture is fragrant with the aroma of the combined spices. Be careful not to burn the spice mix - if it gets too dry, add 1 to 2 tbsp of coconut milk to the mix.
- Add pork and continue to stir fry, so that the meat is well coated with the spices. Fry for about 5 minutes.
- Add the tamarind juices, water and coconut milk. Stir to mix well and bring mixture to a gentle boil.
- Add seasonings and reduce heat to allow for gentle simmering. Continue to simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes, or until the meat is tender, and gravy is of your desired consistency (please read Recipe Notes below.)
Notes
- I tend to use a generous amount of curry leaves as I simply love their aroma and unique flavour in my curries. Also, they add a nice subtle dash of green to an otherwise crimson-orange coloured dish. You can use as little or as much as you like to suit your preference.
- If you intend to remove curry leaves at the end of cooking, simply add whole sprigs (with leaves attached) into the pot and remove them at the end of cooking.
- If you find the gravy slightly too thick, or if the mixture is drying up too quickly before the pork becomes tender, add water, a little each time, during cooking .
- If the gravy is too thin, let it simmer longer so as to reduce water content. Do a taste test and adjust to your preference. It should be spicy sweet, sour and with just enough saltiness to bring it all together.
- Feel free to reduce or add coconut milk, depending on how rich or 'creamy' you like your curries.
- You can use pork belly or pork shoulder in place of lean pork. Please note that pork belly may take longer (about 45 minutes to an hour) to braise till tender. Cut into bite-size cubes to shorten braising time.
- The flavour of meat curries are even more enhanced the day after. So if preparing this dish for a party or gathering, do so a day in advance. Keep it chilled in the refrigerator until required. Bring back to a gentle simmer over low heat when required.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 623kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 60g, Saturated Fat: 30g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 21g, Cholesterol: 60mg, Sodium: 1368mg, Potassium: 499mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 169IU, Vitamin C: 31mg, Calcium: 46mg, Iron: 4mg
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