Pandi Curry
Slow-cooked pork simmered with roasted Kodava spices and the distinctive dark souring agent kachampuli, resulting in a deeply flavoured, tangy black curry.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 90 min
- Total
- 120 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Calories
- 420 kcal
Equipment
- •Heavy clay pot or Dutch oven
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- fat
- 31 g
- carbs
- 6 g
- fibre
- 1 g
- protein
- 30 g
- calories
- 420 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Mix the pork cubes with pandi curry masala, turmeric, ginger-garlic paste and half the kachampuli (sour fruit vinegar). Rest for at least 1 hour.
- 2
Heat pork fat or oil in a heavy pot. Fry the sliced onions until they turn deeply golden.
- 3
Add the marinated pork. Fry on high heat for 5-6 minutes until well browned.
- 4
Add slit green chillies and half the curry leaves. Lower the heat, cover, and cook in its own juices with minimal added water.
- 5
Simmer gently for 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook until the pork is very tender and the fat melts into the gravy.
- 6
Stir in the remaining kachampuli and salt. Simmer uncovered until the gravy turns thick, dark and glossy.
- 7
Stir in the remaining curry leaves. Let the curry rest for 15 minutes before serving, as flavours improve after resting.
Chef's tips
Kachampuli gives this dish its authentic tart flavour. If you cannot find it, use a small mix of tamarind and dark vinegar instead. The curry tastes even better the next day as the spices settle.
Ingredient substitutions
- kachampuli → a mix of tamarind pulp and balsamic or malt vinegar (non-traditional)
Storage
Refrigerate for up to 3 days; freezes well for up to a month.
Reheating
Reheat gently on the stove; the gravy thickens further and tastes richer with each reheating.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Adding too much water, which thins out the rich, thick gravy that should coat the pork.
Serving suggestions
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