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Sri Lankan

Sri Lankan black pork curry

Non-vegetarian

Pork cooked with a very dark roasted curry powder, tamarind or goraka, vinegar, curry leaves and cinnamon until the sauce is almost black, tangy and intensely spiced.

Sri Lankan black pork curry is a Sri Lankan curry, ready in about 1 hour 45 minutes and made with pork shoulder and ground coriander. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
25 min
Cook
1 h 20 min
Total
1 h 45 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
610

Plus at least 30 minutes marinating.

Ingredients

4 servings

Roasted curry powder

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Dry-roast the curry-powder spices, chillies and rice together, stirring constantly, until very dark brown and smoky. Cool and grind to a fine powder.

  2. Step 2

    Mix the pork with the roasted powder, vinegar, tamarind, salt and chilli. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.

    • 5 min

    Food safety: Marinate in the fridge; wash hands and boards after handling raw pork.

    Meat coated in a spiced marinade in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Ip Photographer on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Heat the oil and fry the cinnamon (opens in a new tab), curry leaves (opens in a new tab) and pandan (opens in a new tab), then the onion (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab) and ginger until golden.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Add the pork and fry for 5 minutes, then add the water. Cover and cook on a low heat until tender.

    • 50 min
    • low heat

  5. Step 5

    Uncover and cook until the sauce is thick, very dark and clinging to the meat.

    • 10 min
    • medium heat

    Food safety: Pork should be tender and piping hot throughout.

About this dish

Origin
Sri Lanka · Well documentedMore food from Sri Lanka
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Curries · Main courses
Cooking method
Toasted, Marinated / cured, Braised
Taste
spicy (chilli heat), sour, smoky, rich, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Pork shoulder · Ground coriander · Cumin · Fennel seeds · Cloves · Cardamom
Techniques
Toasting · Braising · Spice roasting (dry-roasting) · Dry grinding · Marinating

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

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

610 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 361 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 24%
  • Carbohydrate 11%
  • Fat 65%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy610 kcal169 kcal
Protein36.6 g10.1 g
Carbohydrate16.9 g4.7 g
Net carbohydrate13.1 g3.6 g
Sugars4 g1.1 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre3.8 g1.1 g
Fat44.1 g12.2 g
Saturated fat13.1 g3.6 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol142 mg39 mg
Sodium1016 mg282 mg
Salt equivalent2.5 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
879 mg
Calcium
114 mg
Iron
4.3 mg
Magnesium
72 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
35 µg
Vitamin C
7 mg
Vitamin D
3.4 µg
Vitamin B12
1.5 µg
Folate (DFE)
30 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: pandan leaves.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): curry leaves.
  • Tamarind paste: Raw tamarind pulp (FDC 167763). Commercial concentrates vary in water content.
  • “—” 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

  • Make extra roasted curry powder — it keeps for a month in a jar and is the base of many Sri Lankan curries.

Common mistakes

  • Stopping the roast too early — the powder should be the colour of dark coffee, but not burnt.

Serve with

  • Serve with rice, pol sambol and a dhal curry.

Storage

  • Keeps 4 days refrigerated and improves with time.

Reheating

  • Reheat in a pan until sizzling.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. 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

Used in step 2

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

  • Dry spice blend

    Sri Lankan roasted curry powder

    This recipe roasts and grinds it from whole spices (42 g for 4 servings). The full masala recipe explains each step in detail.

    Make Sri Lankan roasted curry powder

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