Ingredients
|
Quantity
|
Boneless pork shoulder
|
2 pounds
|
Tamarind pulp (see note)
|
1 ½ pieces
|
Dried red chilli peppers – seeded, coarsely
chopped
|
14
|
Cinnamon stick
|
1 ½
|
Cloves – ground
|
20
|
Coriander seeds
|
2 tsp
|
Cumin seeds
|
2 tsp
|
Black mustard seeds
|
2 tsp
|
Black pepper corns
|
¾ tsp
|
Minced fresh ginger
|
2 tbsp
|
Minced garlic
|
2 tbsp
|
Cider vinegar
|
½ cup
|
Peanut oil
|
½ cup
|
Onions – chopped
|
2
|
Salt
|
to taste
|
It's interesting, as I go through this humungous pile of
newspapers, to see how my tastes have changed over the past three years. Some
of the things I marked then, I find myself discarding now. Some of the stuff
that didn't interest me at the time, I'm scanning to save. This one was on the
list then and is still on the list.
Trim the meat and cut into 3/4-inch pieces.
Place the tamarind in a nonmetallic bowl; pour in 1 ½ cups hot
water and let soak at least 1 hour. Work the tamarind with fingers to squeeze out
as much pulp and juice as possible. Strain into a bowl and set aside. Discard
the residue.
Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Add the chilli peppers,
cinnamon sticks, cloves, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and black
peppercorns; roast the spices, stirring and shaking the skillet constantly,
until the coriander, cumin and chilli peppers turn several shades darker, and
all the spices release their fragrance. This will take 3 to 4 minutes, Transfer
to a bowl and let cool. Grind the spices in a spice grinder and set aside.
Put the ginger and garlic in a medium-sized non metallic bowl with
the vinegar. Blend in the ground, roasted spices. Add the meat and mix
thoroughly to coat with the spice mixture. Cover the bowl and refrigerate
overnight or up to 48 hours.
Heat the oil in a heavy pan, add onions and cook until they turn
reddish brown, 12 to 20 minutes. Add the meat (with its marinade) in two
batches, stirring and searing the pieces over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to
medium and cook, stirring frequently, until almost all the liquid evaporates
and fat separates from the mixture. You will see small pools of fat on the surface.
Stir in the tamarind and some salt; cover and simmer until the
meat is very tender, about 1 hour. Check the water content from time to time,
and add ¼ cup hot water once or twice. Serve hot with steamed rice.