Coorgi Pork means, a special ethnic dish that is believed to have originated in, and still prepared in, the Coorg District of Karnataka State. Normally it is prepared with the special tamarind sauce (named PULI) that is available in Coorg and in some other parts of Karnataka. The dish may have been varied a bit while it was taken away to nearby cities like Mangalore or Bangalore, but the original flavour is not lost. And, even if the Coorgi Puli is replaced by the normal tamarind, it still gives an excellent taste.
Then why not try it? Here is the recipe (please always note that the taste of your tongue will determine how much you should vary the ingredients ? for example, if you want to make it hot, you can do so by slightly increasing the black peppers without actually affecting your tummy, as black peppers have several health benefits).
1kg Pork (low on fat preferably) cut into small cubes
Ingredients (for making powder):
4 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)
1 tsp black pepper
1 pinch mustard
7 cloves
3″ cinnamon
4 cardamoms
1 handful curry leaves
Fry all the above ingredients one by one on a frying pan. On a dry mixer, Make a fine powder using the fried ingredients.
[Tip: it is better not to fry the Cumin seeds to avoid bitterness of the powder and the dish]
For preparing a fine paste (grind the following):
? bunch coriander leaves, 4 green chillies, 2″ ginger and 4 cloves of garlic
Also, separately make a tamarind paste using two marble sizes of tamarind.
Cooking Method:
Boil meat with salt (as per taste), ? tsp turmeric powder and 4 tsp tamarind paste with one cup of water. When it is almost cooked (approximately 15-20 mins on medium fire), add the ground masala and mix it well. After a good boil, add the powdered masala, mix well and keep it on a low fire for sometime till the meat absorbs the masala and becomes dry & thick. (at this stage, you can remove fat which may be visibly floating on top of the vessel). Now you can add more salt or more tamarind paste based on your taste. Your Coorgi pork is now ready.
Little creativity or innovation adds to taste:
1) Additionally, you can fry 2 sliced onions in a little (sunflower) oil, to a little brownish colour and mix it with the cooked meat as above to get a more pungent taste.
2) You can also make Crispy Coorgi Pork, by frying the cooked Coorgi Pork on a flat non stick pan in small quantities, with or without additional (sunflower) oil ? a good starter for drinks!
From: Wilma’s Home Delicacies
Author: Wilma Pereira- Bahrain