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Burmese Pork Curry
Burmese Pork Curry
This pork curry is something special. It is extremely easy to prepare and as far as I’m concerned, might be one of the best comfort foods I’ve ever eaten. The pork falls apart in the aromatic, slightly spicy gravy. The addition of potatoes not only adds a starch to the curry, but helps thicken that magical gravy. The pork curry is traditionally eaten during Christmas, weddings, and large gatherings in Myanmar(formerly Burma), but can be eaten anytime. When choosing the pork for the curry, you want to use cuts with a little more fat since it will be slow cooked for 2 hours. Pork shoulder works the best. Pork belly works well, but will generate more fat to the gravy. Pork sirloin is a great choice if you want the pork to be a little leaner, but still tender enough for braising. Pork loin and tenderloin would not work in this curry. They are too lean and ultimately will be tough if braised.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork shoulder, sirloin, or belly cubed
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 large yellow onion diced
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 4 green bird’s eye chilies minced
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 cups water
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 3 medium potatoes sliced 1/2” thick
- 1/2 bunch cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Marinate the pork with 1 tsp of turmeric and salt for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Heat up cooking oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high. Sauté the onions, garlic, and chilies for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the paprika, cumin, chili powder, brown sugar, cinnamon stick, and the rest of the turmeric. Continue sautéing for 5 minutes.
- Add in the pork, browning for 5 minutes.
- Pour in 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Place the pot in a preheated 300 degree oven covered for 1 hour.
- Season the pork with fish sauce. Add in the potatoes. Put the cover back on and place back in the oven for 45 minutes.
- Add in the cilantro.
Injera
Injera
Injera is an East African staple, eaten with just about every meal. Similar in appearance to a buckwheat crepe, the injera is made out of teff flour. Teff is a grain grown in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The flour is mixed into a thin pancake like batter. The batter is left to ferment in the refrigerator for 2 days, giving the injera a flavor similar to sourdough. When ready to cook, ladle some of the batter on an oiled nonstick pan over high heat. The injera takes no more than 2 minutes to make, with no flipping required. The batter is thin enough to cook completely through. The injera is torn and eaten as a scoop for your food.
Equipment
- upright mixer
Ingredients
- 2 cups teff flour
- 1/2 package dry active yeast
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients except the salt in an upright mixer for a minute.
- Add the salt and blend for 15 seconds.
- Cover the batter and let sit in the refrigerator for 2 days.
- Lightly oil a nonstick pan over high heat. Pour a ladles worth of the batter into the pan, making a circular shape.
- Cook on 1 side for up to 2 minutes. No flipping required.
Fish Pepper Soup
Fish Pepper Soup
This is one of my favorite African recipes. I make this fish pepper soup fairly often and it is always different, which is great. One thing that changes is the spice powder. The base is always smoked paprika, white pepper, and bouillon. There are multiple additional spices that can be added to the powder including fennel, cumin, coriander, allspice, curry powder, njangsa, alligator pepper, African nutmeg, lemongrass, etc. That is really up to you. The other other thing that changes is whether or not I sauté the rest of the ingredients chopped or turned into a paste in the food processor. If you want your soup chunkier, don’t turn the ingredients into a paste. I like to use king fish for this soup. It’s inexpensive, flavorful, and very meaty for fish. Other fish that you can use include catfish, tilapia, cod, swai, snapper, or mackerel. You can either cut up your fish into smaller pieces if you’re using a fillet. I chose to keep my king fish steaks whole so I can serve 1 per person.Serve the soup with steamed rice or boiled plantains.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- Spice grinder
- food processor
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 lbs king fish steaks
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 habanero
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
- 1 stalk celery finely chopped
- 1/2 medium onion diced
- 6 basil leaves chopped
- 2 green onions chopped
- 4 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- salt to taste
Spice Powder
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp white peppercorns
- 2 tsp chicken bouillon
Optional Spices
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp njangsa
Instructions
- Grind the fennel, cumin, njangsa, white and black peppercorns in a spice grinder. Mix them with the smoked paprika, and chicken bouillon. Set aside.
- Blend the onions, garlic, ginger, habanero, green onions, celery, and basil in a food processor until it is almost a paste.
- Heat up cooking oil in a large pot over medium heat. Fry the paste for 5-6 minutes.
- Add the spice powder mix. Fry for a minute.
- Pour in 4 cups of water. Add the bay leaf. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt.
- Add in the fish steaks. Simmer for another 10 minutes until they are cooked through.
