The Best Ever Mangalorean Pork Curry | Kudla Panji Kari | No-Oil South Indian Pork Curry

This distinctively piquant Mangalorean pork curry, otherwise known as Kudla panji kari (no-oil South Indian pork curry) will capture your heart, tongue and stomach from the very first time you set eyes on its alluring fire brick hue and taste that glorious porky goodness. ‘Nuff written. It’s time to eat!

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when I say ‘sky’? Blue? Yes, blue pops up in my head too. What’s pops up when I say ’the fastest man’? Usain Bolt? Hah! We’re on a roll here. Whenever I think of Mangalorean Pork Curry (the best ever Mangalorean Pork Curry) and neer dosa, I always think of my mother-in-law, Rose (Rose Aunty). Special days are made more special, and we hungry eaters are treated to a feast. Oh, and she makes Mangalorean pork curry with 4-5 kilos of pork, along with 80 neer dosas whenever she’s asked to, for fund raisers, and they sell out so quickly!

It does require a lot of effort, especially when you have to chop copious amounts of onions and garlic — after peeling an insane number of garlic pods. And Rose Aunty breezes through the preparation, seasoned maker of the best ever Mangalorean pork curry that she is. First timers, smash those garlic pods under a big knife and you make your garlic peeling easy. Also, put your food processor to use and let it slice the onions, ginger and garlic. I know what you’re wondering. And yes, it’s important that we slice them up or get them julienned. You see, if you grind it (or for that matter fry it — a whole different reason why you should not) you end up with water and masala, and not the fine homogenous Kudla panji kari. You see, they release water when ground, and you don’t want that! Uh huh. No water and no oil, thank you! And for that same reason, you don’t fry them either. When you chop them so, and cook them so, they cook with their shape almost intact and release their oniony, garlicky and gingery goodness only when you feast on them. Don’t worry, they melt in your mouth, so the only thing you’re chewing is the pork and nothing else. Quite the genius this Rose Aunty, right?

Oh, and ensure you use Byadgi chillies as these chillies impart their unique beautiful deep red colour to the curry and are less pungent than the other chilli varieties due to their negligible capsaicin content. When in a pinch, add a variety of your choice that add more colour than heat.

Rose Aunty makes her special tempered neer dosa to go along with the best ever Mangalorean pork curry. You should try it too! I’ll put the recipe up soon. Now, open your mouth wide.

Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram using #notjustspice when you do make this delicious no-oil South Indian pork curry!

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The Best Ever Mangalorean Pork Curry | Kudla Panji Kari | No-Oil South Indian Pork Curry

This distinctively piquant Mangalorean pork curry, otherwise known as Kudla panji kari will capture your heart, tongue and stomach from the very first bite!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: East Indian, Indian, Mangalorean

Keyword: Mangalorean Pork Curry, Pork Curry, Pork Gravy

Ingredients

• 1 kilo pork, small pieces, 70:30 = meat:fat (2.2 lbs) pork
• 6 medium onions julienned
• 4-5 bulbs garlic peeled and julienned
• 3 knobs ginger peeled and julienned
• 3-4 green chillies slit in half
• 10-12 peppercorns
• 4 cloves
• 1- inch piece cinnamon
• 1 cardamon
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar (coconut vinegar or cider vinegar)
• 10 Byadgi chillies soaked in water for about 15 minutes, after you deseed them — break them in half and tap them lightly on a hard flat surface
• 6 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 4 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 4 tablespoons cumin seeds
• 2-3 teaspoons mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt (add more, according to your taste)

Instructions

1. Grind together the Byadgi chillies (drained), coriander seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and poppy seeds. Don’t add water or they won’t grind properly. You should end up with a thick red fragrant masala paste. You could add a teaspoon of water towards the end to get it moving.

2. Add vinegar to this masala paste and set aside for 15 minutes. You could get all this ready first and then chop up the ginger, garlic and onions, too.

3. In a heavy-bottomed vessel or a big pressure cooker add the remaining ingredients: the pork, onions, garlic, ginger, green chillies, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, cardamon, turmeric powder, bay leaf, salt, and the masala paste, and mix them gently.

4. Place it on low-medium heat and cover it and let it all cook.

5. Turn off the heat after about three whistles. If you’re not using a pressure cooker, ensure that the pork is well cooked — the meat should give way easily when prodded with a fork.

6. Let it rest for about 20 minutes before you open the cooker. Give it a good stir and add more salt if you want.
7. Serving: You could eat it once you open the cooker, although it tastes best when eaten the next day. It is best eaten with neer dosa (recipe coming soon!) or sannas. Or with pão (bread roll, also know as pav) or bread if you prefer them, or have no access to neer dosas or sannas.

Notes

You must’ve noticed the absence of oil and water in this recipe. Keep it that way. It’s meant to be thick, and it has been carefully constructed that way. Don’t add water or oil at any time! Also, it’s important that you use only Byadgi chillies and not any other kind of dry red chilly. When in a pinch, add a variety of your choice that add more colour than heat.

Do not grind the onion, garlic, green chillies and ginger. I’ve mentioned why earlier. If you want to make half the amount, halve everything, and use a small cardamon, and a smaller bay leaf.

If you are using lean meat, by all means add some oil to the Mangalorean Pork Curry.

Storage: If you’re making the Mangalorean pork curry in the evening, you could keep it outside for the night — you don't have to store it in the fridge. You see, when you let the curry rest for some time, all the oil rises to the top, and this forms a barrier between the curry and the air, so it wont get spoilt. So don’t pour out the film of oil that settles on top — when you know you're going to keep it for a while, that is.

Related Link:

Byadgi Chilli (Wikipedia)