This is a fantastic spicy curry, based on the Indonesian Rendang, Traditionally this would have been made with beef, but I'm using pork shoulder which is a wonderful substitute, I absolutely love my curries, the mixture of flavours, the wonderful smells as you toast of the spices, and of course the amazing tastes
I'm not going to fib, this is a hot one, and there isn't a lot of sauce, it's not that kind of curry, this recipe is about packing all those spice flavours into the pork
Ingredients
2 large onions roughly diced
6 garlic cloves roughly chopped
A good piece of ginger roughly chopped, no need to peel
4 birds eye chillies
A good splash of vegetable oil
1kg of pork shoulder cut into 1 inch cubes
300ml of coconut milk
3 lemongrass stalks lightly crushed
6 cardamom pods
6 kaffir lime leaves
2 cinnamon sticks
4 star anise
A good splash of soy sauce
50g of dark brown sugar
A handful of toasted flaked almonds
A good bunch of chopped coriander
Method
1. Put the onion, garlic, ginger and chillies into a food processor and blitz to a smooth paste
2. add a splash of oil to a large pan and add the paste, cook for 3-4 minutes, it may spit a little so be careful
3. Now add the pork and cook for a further 6-8 minutes until browned all over
4. Add the coconut milk and the lemongrass, cardamom, lime leaves, cinnamon, star anise, lower the heat, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 45-50 minutes
5. Remove the lid, add in the soy sauce and the sugar, continue to cook for a further 45-50 minutes, there should be no liquid left, but be careful not to burn the pork, stir occasionally
The curry is now ready
Serve with toasted flaked almonds and chopped fresh coriander
Plain boiled rice would be a perfect accompaniment