At home I constantly love to experiment with flavours at dinner and that’s the perfect time to try some new twists to traditional dishes and get creative with spices and fruits hailing from the island of Mauritius.
We never used to eat pork growing up at home, probably because my parents didn’t favour it as a choice of meat, dishes were normally poultry, lamb or fish with the odd beef dish pre-mad cow era. I now enjoy cooking pork in recipes, its lighter to eat than meatier dishes although I’m never partial to a slab of pork belly or crackling.
This recipe is a new one from me, I have since added to supperclub menus as a lighter, fragrant, sweet style curry with the natural juices of the lychees it works very well. So don’t turn your nose up to trying something a little different and adventurous!
If you control the amount of lychees added to the dish, it will not be overpowering in sweetness but alike apple sauce is harmonious with the pork.
Pork & Lychee Curry (serves 3)
Ingredients:
2 pork steaks/chops cut into bite sized pieces
2 Tomatoes, chopped or 250 ml tomatoes canned
1 Medium onion, finely chopped
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 heaped tbsp curry powder (Mauritian or ordinary mild curry powder)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
6 curry leaves, chopped finely
10 lychees, half a can, drained and cut in halves
2 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp garlic & ginger paste
Vegetable Oil
Method:
Heat oil in the pan, sear cut pieces of pork in the pan for 4 minutes
Add onion in same pan and sweat, with thymes for 3 minutes then add in the garlic and ginger finely chopped. Stir to avoid burning. Add in the chopped curry leaves.
Mix the curry powders together then add water to make into a paste. Add to the pan and cook for a few minutes with the onions, add a little oil to help cook the curry sauce. Stir, do not let it burn.
Add tomatoes, allow to cook slowly for 5 minutes then add a little water if necessary.
Add the pork back into the curry sauce and 1 tsp of salt. Then reduce the heat and let it cook slowly till tender for around 20-30 minues, keep checking and stirring to avoid sticking on the bottom.
When the meat is tender add in the lychees and cook for a further 5 minutes. Then scatter with coriander leaves and turn off the heat.
Eat with cardamom basmati rice or with chappatis :)
