Burmese pork curry
Non-vegetarian
Pork slow-cooked in a pounded onion, garlic and ginger paste with paprika, turmeric and fish sauce until the oil rises to the surface — the hallmark of a Burmese curry.
Burmese pork curry is a Burmese curry from Myanmar, ready in about 2 hours and made with pork shoulder, fish sauce and onion. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 1 h 35 min
- Total
- 2 h
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 586
Method
Step 1
Toss the pork with the fish sauce (opens in a new tab) and turmeric (opens in a new tab) and leave for 20 minutes.
- 3 min
Food safety: Wash hands and boards after handling raw pork.
Step 2
Heat the oil in a heavy pot and fry the onion (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab) and ginger paste on a medium-low heat until the water has evaporated and the paste is golden and fragrant.
- 15 min
- medium-low heat
- Dutch oven / casserole pot (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels Step 3
Stir in the paprika (opens in a new tab) and chilli, then add the pork and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
- 6 min
- medium heat
Step 4
Add the water and salt, cover and cook on a very low heat until the pork is meltingly tender.
- 60 min
- low heat
Step 5
Uncover and simmer until the liquid has reduced and a layer of red oil floats on top (si byan). Stir in garam masala (opens in a new tab) if using and scatter with coriander.
- 12 min
- medium-low heat
Food safety: Pork should be tender and piping hot throughout.
How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels
About this dish
- Origin
- Myanmar · Well documentedMore food from Myanmar
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Curries · Main courses
- Cooking method
- Marinated / cured, Braised, Slow-cooked
- Taste
- savoury, rich, garlicky, spicy (chilli heat)
- Diet
- No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-proteinWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Non-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein - Good for
- Make-ahead · One-pot
- Cook more with
- Pork shoulder · Fish sauce · Onion · Turmeric · Garlic · Fresh ginger
- Techniques
- Simmering · Braising · Marinating · Reduction · Curing
Allergens
- Contains: Fishfrom fish sauce
- May contain: Crustaceansfrom fish sauce
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
586 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 406 g · recipe makes 4
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 24%
- Carbohydrate 8%
- Fat 69%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 586 kcal | 144 kcal |
| Protein | 34.4 g | 8.5 g |
| Carbohydrate | 11.5 g | 2.8 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 9.1 g | 2.2 g |
| Sugars | 3.2 g | 0.8 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 2.4 g | 0.6 g |
| Fat | 44.5 g | 10.9 g |
| Saturated fat | 12.6 g | 3.1 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 133 mg | 33 mg |
| Sodium | 1119 mg | 275 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 2.8 g | 0.7 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 815 mg
- Calcium
- 80 mg
- Iron
- 3.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 69 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 72 µg
- Vitamin C
- 9 mg
- Vitamin D
- 3.2 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 1.4 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 27 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- Optional ingredients are not included: garam masala, coriander leaves.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Burmese curries are meant to be oily — the oil is spooned over rice — but you can skim some off before serving.
Common mistakes
- Frying the onion paste on a high heat — it burns before the water cooks out. Go slowly.
Serve with
- Serve with rice, a sour soup and balachaung or raw vegetables.
Storage
- Keeps 4 days refrigerated.
Reheating
- Reheat until bubbling.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- Pork shoulder, cut into 3 cm pieces750 g
- Onion, pounded or blended to a paste2 piece · 220 g
Masalas in this recipe
Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.
Dry spice blend
Punjabi garam masala
This recipe uses ½ tsp (1 g for 4 servings).
Also: Bengali garam masala, Kerala (Malabar) garam masala, Mughlai (shahi) garam masala
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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