Ceylon Pork
The name Ceylon has not been used since 1947, and try as you may, you won’t find this curry in Sri Lanka. To curry restaurateurs, the Ceylon, invented, as its name implies in the days before partition, is a hot, creamy, tangy curry, created from the Bhoona by adding coconut milk, dried chillies and lemon.
Serves 4
Ingredients
675 g (11/2lb) lean pork, weighed after stage 1
3 tablespoons mustard blend oil
1 to 3 teaspoons minced garlic
200 g (7oz) finely chopped onion
1 to 4 dried red chillies
6 to 10 fresh or dried curry leaves
some milk for thinning
1/3 block (65g) creamed coconut, chopped
150 ml (5 floz) single cream
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt to taste
Masala
2 teaspoons masala mix
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Method
1. Remove any unwanted matter from the pork, then cut it into bite-sized cubes.
2. Mix the masala with enough water to achieve an easily pourable paste.
3. Heat the oil in a karahi or wok until it is nearly smoking. Add the garlic and briskly stir-fry for 20 to 30 seconds. Add the above paste, and keep on stirring for about another minute.
4. Add the onion and reducing the heat, stir-fry for at least 5 minutes until the mixture has thoroughly softened.
5. Take the pan off the stove and purée the mixture, using the electric hand blender.
6. Preheat the oven to 190?C / 375?F / Gas 5.
7. Put the chillies, curry leaves, pork and purée, into a lidded casserole pot of 2.25 to 2.75 (4 to 5 pint) capacity. Put the pot, lid on, into the oven.
8. After 20 minutes, remove the pot and inspect. Stir and add a little milk if it looks dry.
9. Repeat after a further 20 minutes, adding the coconut and the cream.
10. Repeat after a final 20 minutes, by which time the pork should be really tender. If it is not quite as tender as you would like, cook on until it is. Add the lemon juice. The sauce should be quite runny, add more milk if it needs thinning.
11. Salt to taste. Replace the casserole, turn off the heat. Serve after 10 minutes with Lemon Rice.
