Pork belly vindaloo
To chef Alfred Prasad, this pork belly vindaloo recipe is 'a thriving confluence of Portuguese, Indian and British food cultures'. This dish, notorious for being the hottest curry on many a takeaway menu, has a rich, fascinating history – and Alfred's version is of quality you'd expect from one of the country's best chefs. Read more in Alfred's guide to the origins of Britain's favourite Indian takeaway curries.
Ingredients
Pork belly
- 500g of pork belly , trimmed
- 10ml of vegetable oil
Vindaloo spice paste
- 15 dried red chillies , de-seeded and soaked in water
- 1 tsp black peppercorns , preferably Telicherry
- 1/4 star anise
- cassia, one 5cm (2 inch) piece
- 3 cloves
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 15g of ginger , roughly chopped
- 8 garlic cloves , roughly chopped
- 1/2 tsp tamarind concentrate
- 4 tsp cider vinegar
Sauce
- 60ml of vegetable oil
- 2 large onions , finely chopped
- 2 tbsp of tomato paste
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp jaggery
- salt
To serve
- chilli threads , optional
- coriander cress , optional
Method
1
Grind together the soaked red chillies, peppercorns, star anise, cassia bark, cloves, cumin seeds, chopped ginger, chopped garlic, tamarind and vinegar to a smooth paste, adding a little water if required
- 15 dried red chillies , de-seeded and soaked in water
- 1 tsp black peppercorns , preferably Telicherry
- 1/4 star anise
- cassia, one 5cm (2 inch) piece
- 3 cloves
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 15g of ginger , roughly chopped
- 8 garlic cloves , roughly chopped
- 1/2 tsp tamarind concentrate
- 4 tsp cider vinegar
2
To make the sauce, heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onions and sauté until well-browned. Add 100ml water and allow the mixture to simmer for 3–4 minutes, stirring well
- 60ml of vegetable oil
- 2 large onions , finely chopped
3
Add the tomato paste, red chilli powder, jaggery, the spice paste and salt; mix well and cook for a couple of minutes. Add a litre of water, bring to the boil, then remove from heat and set aside
- 2 tbsp of tomato paste
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp jaggery
- salt
4
To prepare the pork, heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan and sear the pork belly, ensuring it is a nice golden-brown colour all over
- 10ml of vegetable oil
- 500g of pork belly , trimmed
5
Pour in the sauce and braise over a medium heat for 45 minutes. After this time, remove the pork belly, place on a chopping board and cut into 4 equal strips
6
Return the pork belly to the pan and cook over a low heat for a further 30 minutes, or until the pork is tender
7
To serve, place a piece of pork belly on each plate and spoon over the sauce. Garnish with chilli threads and coriander cress before serving
- coriander cress , optional
- chilli threads , optional
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Pork belly vindaloo
