If you're not one to have pork in a curry, then this recipe will change your mind! This Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry is thick, spicy, and super moreish. I think you're going to love it!
About This Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry
This recipe is part of my 5 Dishes Deep series. I haven’t posted all the recipes on my website, so if you’d like to follow along, then check out my Instagram or TikTok to see the other dishes I’ve explored from Sri Lanka.
This is an absolute classic dish from Sri Lanka. It's called Black Pork curry because of the colour of the final product. This is due to the ingredients used: dark roasted curry powder, black pepper, and tamarind paste. Perfect served with a bowl of steamed rice and a wedge of lime, this will most likely blow your socks off!
Ingredients For This Recipe
What makes this curry stand out is the addition of the dark roasted curry powder, a traditional curry powder used in a lot of Sri Lankan cooking. You can buy this powder online, or you can make it from scratch like I have! If you'd like to make it, here are the ingredients you'll need:
- Cumin seeds
- Coriander seeds
- Fennel seeds
- Fenugreek seeds
- Basmati rice
- Dried chillies
- Black peppercorns
- Mustard seeds
- Cloves
- Cinnamon
- Cardamom
All you need to do is gently toast the ingredients until roasted, which takes around 5-10 minutes on medium-low heat. You want to stir continuously to avoid burning!
For the pork marinade, you'll need the following ingredients:
- Pork belly or pork shoulder
- Blac pepper
- Chilli Powder
- Turmeric
- Salt
- Vinegar
- Garlic
Finally, for the rest of the curry, here's what you'll need:
- Green chilli
- Bay leaves
- Tamarind paste
- Sugar
- Lemongrass
- Curry leaves
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Onion
- Salt
- Water
Variations and Subsititutions for This Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry
Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry
Ingredients Â
For The Dark Roasted Curry Powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 1 teaspoon basmati rice
- 5 dried red chillies
- ½ tablespoon black peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 3 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cardamom pod seeds
For The Pork
- 500g pork shoulder or pork belly
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
For The Rest of the Curry
- 1 green chilli, sliced in half lengthways
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 piece lemongrass, bruised bash the lemongrass down the stalk to release the flavour
- 3 curry leaves
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ½ inch ginger, finely chopped
- 1 onion, diced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon tamarind paste
- water to cover the pork
- 2 portions of cooked basmati rice
- 2 lime wedges to serve
InstructionsÂ
- Slice your pork into ½ inch cubes. Place in a bowl with the black pepper, chilli powder, turmeric, salt, vinegar, and garlic. Mix thoroughly with a spoon and then cover and leave in the fridge to marinate for a few hours or overnight.
- For the dark roasted curry powder, add all of your spices into a frying pan and place it on medium-low heat. Continuously stir the spices to avoid them burning. Fry the spices for 5-10 minutes or until they begin to turn a dark colour. Remove from the heat and place them in a pestle and mortar, or spice blender. Blend until a smooth spice mix has formed and then set it aside. If you don't have some of the spices in "whole" forms but in "grounded" forms, then roast the whole spices first and add in the ground forms afterwards, in the pestle and mortar.
- Grab yourself a pot, place it on medium heat, and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Transfer in your dark roasted spice mix, green chilli, bay leaves, sugar, lemongrass, curry leaves, garlic, ginger, and onion. Fry for a few minutes and stir until well combined. The smells in your kitchen should be incredible right now!
- Pour in your marinated pork and fry on high heat for 5 minutes, making sure all sides of your pork are lightly cooked.
- Next, add in your salt, and tamarind paste, and cover the pork with water (around 400ml). Place a lid on your pot, bring to a boil, and then leave to simmer for 30 minutes.
- This is probably a good time to get your rice on the go!
- After your pork has been gently bubbling away for 30 minutes, remove the lid and leave the curry sauce to reduce until you have a thick porky, dark-looking curry. Season to taste!
- When your rice is done and your pork is at a thickness of your liking, serve it up with a wedge of lime and enjoy!
Daniel
Had this in the Gallery Cafe in Colombo. I wanted to re-cook it. Honestly this recepy is not even close to it. However, it tastes very good for its own.
Emily
Thanks for your comment Daniel! This recipe is inspired by my time visiting Sri Lanka and also working with a local Sri Lankan restaurant. It's rare for curries to taste exactly the same, because everyone has their own little additions, so I appreciate that this dish may not have tasted like the one you experienced in Colombo. I'm very glad you enjoyed this recipe though!
Ian
This turned out pretty well - rather like a vindaloo, but more complex in flavour. I cut the pork slightly larger and cooked it for longer until it was really tender. Definitely recommended.
Emily Roz
So happy to hear this! Thank you for your comment!