Despite being pure non vegetarians, pork is one meat which is hardly bought by us. The hesitation is always because I am a bit concerned about the quality of the meat. After talking to a lot of fellow foodies, we found a reliable place to get pork. Pandi Curry a.k.a Coorgi Style Pork has been on my “top to- do Pork dishes list” and so didn’t have to struggle with the “what to make syndrome” 😛

I got the recipe of Kaveri Ponnapa from Coorg.com, which seemed pretty easy. The only roadblock I had was Kachampuli. I knew that gambooge (Kudampuli) is known as Kachampuli in Coorg. But the ingredients list mentioned a tablespoon of kachampuli, which put me in a spot. After a search I found that it is the extract of gambooge taken in its raw form and boiled and reduced to a thick consistency and stored in glass/ceramic jars. As I wanted the dark colour which is synonymous to the coorgi pork, I decided to modify it with the dried Gambooge I had. Thankfully it worked. The result was a delicious pork curry. In love with it 🙂

Update: I finally managed to buy Kachampuli during our our Coorg trip. Though the original recipe calls for 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons of it, I feel the sour taste would be overpowering. I would recommend using about 3/4 tablespoon of Kachampuli. You may taste and adjust according to your palate.

Pandhi/Pandi Curry- Coorgi Style slow cooked Pork Curry

Pandhi/Pandi Curry is a signature dish of Coorg, in Karnatake state.

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Course Side Dish

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

  

• 1 kg Pork
• 2 onions Finely chopped
• 4 teaspoons Ginger paste
• 2 teaspoons Garlic cloves paste
• 2 tablespoons Cumin seeds
• 1 - 1/2 tablespoons Mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon Peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon Fenugreek seeds
• 2 teaspoons Turmeric powder powder
• 1 tablespoon Coriander powder powder
• 1 tablespoon Chilli powder(or as required)
• 3 green chillies Slit
• to taste Salt
• 2 cups Water Hot

Instructions

 

• Dry roast each of the dry spices on a hot tava, separately.
  
• Cool and grind them to a fine powder.
  
• Wash and drain the pork, sprinkle with the turmeric and set aside.
  
• Heat oil in a pan.
  
• Add the chopped onions.
  
• When they turn light brown, add the garlic ginger paste and fry for a few minutes.
  
• Sprinkle and mix in the coriander powder, chilli powder, and finally all the dry roasted spices. Stir thoroughly.
  
• Add the pork and turmeric, and fry until the pork releases water, and begins to change colour.
  
• Add salt.
  
• Add about 2 cups of hot water, or according to the gravy required.
  
• Cover and cook on low heat, till the pork is cooked through.
• Add about 3/4 to 1 tablespoon of kachampuli, and simmer for a few minutes.
  
• If you are using a substitute for kachampuli, like a dark brown vinegar, you will have to double the quantities, and the curry may not be so dark in colour.
• Finally, add the green chillies.

Notes

NOTE:

1. This is what I did for Kachampuli substitute. Take 2 dried gambooge pieces (Kudampuli). Chop them up and soak in 1/4 cup warm water for 15 minutes. Grind to a fine smooth paste. Strain the pulp. Add a little bit of water if it's too thick. Boil the strained mixture till you get a slightly thick syrupy consistency. Use as required

2.If the pork has lots of fat use as less oil as possible. Using a non stick pan helps.