Chilly Pork

Growing up in a Mangalorean household, saw me helping my mother, sunday after sunday, year after year, preparing the shindap( a combination of onions, ginger, garlic and chillies which is chopped and mixed with the meat) for the pork dish. Yes, I am talking of the pork bafath, which is every Mangalorean's favourite dish, wherever in the world they may be. Not that it was my favourite, I did eat it, but never relished the fat that came along with it. And to make matters worse, my mother would see that we never left any bit of food that was served to us.

       Fast forward now to my children. They too faced the similar problem of not liking fat in the meat and hence not wanting to eat pork at all. Believing in not forcing children to eat what they don't like, saw me cooking less of pork which did take other mangaloreans by surprise. Not until I came across Lolita Crasta's recipes of pork with a twist. She uses the bafath powder along with other ingredients and mark my words, I now face no problem with my the combination of kids and pig . Here goes the recipe :-

Ingredients:-

• 1 kg pork washed and cut into small pieces
• 2 tbsp Bafath Powder
• salt to taste
• 1 cup tamarind pulp
• 1 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp chilli sauce
• 1 tbsp oil 
• 4 onions (cubes)
• 1 pod garlic(chopped)
• 1" ginger(chopped)
• 4 green chillies (slit)
• 2 tbsp vinegar optional

Method:

1. In a thick bottomed vessel, mix the pork along with the bafath powder, salt and tamarind pulp.
2. Cook till almost done.
3. Switch of the flame, add the tomato and chilli sauces. Mix well and keep aside for an hour.
4. In another vessel, heat the oil.
5. Drop in the cubed onions, chopped garlic, ginger and slit chillies. Fry well on a high flame till everything looks a light brown. Take care to not burn.
6. After frying well, add this to the above pork and mix thoroughly. Cook the pork and fried onion mix for another 5 to 10 minutes. If needed add the vinegar. Adjust salt to taste. Garnish with spring onions. Serve hot with rice or bread.