Pork Veenjaali (Indian style Pork Curry)

The holidays are over, school term has started and I am back from hibernation. My life feels much more normal, relaxed and disciplined from this week…with a determination to get my commitments back in order. This post was meant to be published later in the week, but since I have a lot of stuff going on in the next few days, I decided to post it today itself.

Today’s dish is pork veenjaali – and I have absolutely no clue of the origin of this dish. I found the recipe on the website, Swapna’s Cuisine and the first time I read the recipe, I knew this one was going to be an absolute winner. Reminded me of pork vindaloo with minor differences but I must say, the dish tasted different.

The secret to this awesome curry lies in the curry paste which infuses the pork with a sweet yet spicy and aromatic flavour. If your taste buds are low on the spice quotient, adjust the spices accordingly. This curry paste has found an indispensable spot in my pantry and I plan to experiment with it as much as possible.

So, here’s the recipe for an Indian-style pork curry – Pork Veenjaali;

Print Recipe

Pork Veenjali

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Goan, Indian

Ingredients

• Pork shoulder cut – 1 kg, cut into medium-sized pieces
• Red onion – 2 medium sliced
• Ripe red tomatoes – 2 medium, chopped
• Curry leaves – 2-3 sprigs
• Vegetable oil – 3-4 tbsp
• Salt – to taste

Veenjaali curry paste

• Raisins – 25 gm
• Garlic – 8 cloves
• Ginger – 1 inch piece
• Tamarind paste – 1 ½ tsp
• Black peppercorns – ½ tsp
• Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
• Cumin seeds/jeera – ½ tsp
• Cloves – 3
• Cinnamon stick – 2 inch bark
• Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
• Green chillies – 2
• Shallots/Madras onion – 2
• Dry red chilli – 8

Instructions

• To prepare the veenjaali curry paste, grind all the ingredients in the list and keep aside. If you prefer less heat, adjust the spices accordingly.
• Heat oil in a deep pan and sauté sliced onions till light brown. (I slow cooked this pork curry but you can speed things up using a pressure cooker.)
• Add the ground paste and sauté well till oil separates; then add the tomato pieces and sauté well.
• Into this add the pork and curry leaves and mix well. Season with salt.
• Add 1 – 1 ½ cups of warm water, bring to boil and cook covered on very low flame for 30 minutes. (If using a pressure cooker, cook for 3 whistles)
• After 30 minutes, open the lid and check if the pork is cooked well. If not, cook longer till done. Add more water if necessary to adjust desired consistency.
• Serve hot with Indian flat breads or steamed rice.