Porco balichão tamarindo – Macanese tamarind-braised pork
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This rich, flavourful pork dish perfectly represents the unique blend of flavours that is Macanese cuisine. Portuguese traders arrived in Macao in the sixteenth century, bringing spices and ingredients from Africa, India and Southeast Asia. These were combined with Portuguese and local Chinese dishes into what many believe was the world's first fusion cuisine (read more about Macao's incredible food scene here). The tamarind and shrimp paste in the sauce adds an intense depth of flavour to the stew, which is perfect served alongside Japanese rice.
First published in 2019
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Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
- 900g of pork shoulder, cubed (you can also use pork neck or ideally Ibérico pork cachaço if you can find it)
- 3 bay leaves, finely crushed
- 1 tbsp of tamari
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 3 tbsp of tamarind paste
- 400ml of pork stock, or water
- 3 tbsp of shrimp paste, ideally balichão
- 1 knob of fresh ginger, 2cm in length, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp of brown sugar, raw
- 6 tbsp of grapeseed oil
- Japanese short grain rice, cooked, to serve
Garnish
- 2 spring onions, whites only, chopped
- 1 knob of fresh ginger, cut into matchsticks
- Thai basil, leaves only, fried in oil until crisp
- fried garlic flakes
- 2 red chillies, sliced
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
SAVE RECIPE
Method
1
Season the pork with the tamari, white pepper and crushed bay leaves, then place in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours (or ideally overnight)
- 900g of pork shoulder, cubed (you can also use pork neck or ideally Ibérico pork cachaço if you can find it)
- 1 tbsp of tamari
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 3 bay leaves, finely crushed
2
The next day, place the tamarind paste in a bowl and add around 150ml of hot pork stock (or water). Stir until fully combined
- 3 tbsp of tamarind paste
- 400ml of pork stock, or water
3
Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large sauté pan and brown the pork cubes all over (you may need to do this in batches). Once caramelised, remove the pork from the pan along with any juices and set aside
- 6 tbsp of grapeseed oil
4
Pour the remaining oil into a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the shrimp paste and ginger. Gently fry, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes. Add the pork and any juices to the pan along with the tamarind water and sugar. Pour in the remaining pork stock until the meat is just covered (you may not need all of it). Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 30 minutes or until the pork is tender
- 1 knob of fresh ginger, 2cm in length, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp of brown sugar, raw
- 3 tbsp of shrimp paste, ideally balichão
5
When the pork is tender and the sauce has reduced, taste for seasoning and transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle over the garnishes and serve with the cooked Japanese rice
- 2 spring onions, whites only, chopped
- 1 knob of fresh ginger, cut into matchsticks
- Thai basil, leaves only, fried in oil until crisp
- fried garlic flakes
- 2 red chillies, sliced
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- Japanese short grain rice, cooked, to serve
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