My uncle Rajan is my mother's youngest brother. He was into motorbikes and hunting in his younger days. Going on a motorbike ride with my uncle round the block with the wind rushing through my hair was one of the thrills of my life back then. My uncle was very proud of his Royal Enfield Bullet and very generous to give all his nieces and nephews rides. The other thing my uncle was passionate about was hunting. I was in awe of his rifle and often watched him oiling it and cleaning it. After every hunting expedition of his, the family got to eat wild boar, venison, quail, and wild duck to name a few exotic species.
Patti, or my grandmother Ella, was the person who patiently cleaned the game meat and cooked it for us. This recipe is fantastic if you can get hold of wild boar. If you don't, pork belly will be just fine!
Luscious pieces of meat with fatty skin cooked in its own oil, this dish is quick and made with just 6 ingredients.
This recipe, like most curries, is delicious the first day and heavenly the next.
Wash pork pieces in water till the blood and impurities are washed off. Rub turmeric all over and rinse once. Add the salt, chilli powder and 1 cup of water.
Mix the tamarind well with the water and strain the juice using a colander. Pour the tamarind juice - about a cup or so into the pork pieces. Mix well and cook for 40 to 45 minutes till the meat and fat are tender. while the pork is cooking, grind the peppercorns using a mortar and pestle.
Add the curry leaves and black pepper and cook for a further 10 minutes. Make sure there is enough water in the pan and that the meat doesn't burn at the bottom of the pan. If there isn't enough water add 1/2 a cup at a time and cook in a low flame for a further 10 minutes.
For the last step, keep sautéing at a low flame and letting the pork skin release the oils. Get all of the meat cooking in the oil till it glistens.
Serve hot with rice, roti, chappaties, appam or bread.
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