My absolute favourite way to eat pork is this Spicy Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry! Cooked with dark roasted curry powder, tamarind paste, and black pepper, this black pork curry is packed with big, robust flavours!
A good curry recipe is to boiled rice, what a lead guitar is to a rock band. One cannot exist without the other. And without a good curry, boiled rice is just that. Bland and boring.
Which is why a good meat curry is always a good thing to have in your arsenal. I’m not the biggest fan of pork by the way. I generally prefer a good chicken curry or beef curry or lamb curry (mutton curry) or a fish curry. Which is why, I prepare my pork dishes with extra flavour, texture, and spice that truly elevate the dish in every imaginable way.
Like this pork carnitas recipe, which is one of my favourite ways ever to eat pork! Same with this easy pork ramen, slow braised pork roast, habanero and peach BBQ pork ribs!, and devilled pork – a very Sri Lankan dish, the pork version of this spicy devilled beef recipe.
Spicy Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry
The name “black pork” comes from the colour of the final product, as you may have guessed. And that colour comes from the dark roasted curry powder that’s used to prepare this dish which is mixed with tamarind paste and black pepper.
I did add some cayenne pepper purely for Mr K’s benefit, because his threshold for heat is the same as that of a fire breathing dragon. But feel free to leave out the cayenne pepper for less heat.
As for the photos of the black pork in this post, I’m really not sure they do this dish any justice. There are some foods/dishes where photos just don’t convey how incredibly flavourful they are, no matter how much you twist and turn your body to get that perfect shot or perfect angle.
This was one of them. So just take my word for it. If you like a good meat curry, this will be a staple in your house.
Tamarind is a crucial addition to this recipe. I have made a variation of this curry using lemon juice instead, and while it’s still delicious, it’s just not the same thing. You should easily be able to find tamarind paste in your local Asian/Indian grocery store and even on Amazon.
Tamarind and another type of “fruit” called goraka are regularly used in Asian cooking. They both add distinct sour notes to curries and even a hint of sweet/fruity taste too. Tamarind is more popular as it’s used in numerous dishes and there are a few different types of tamarind too.
There’s one type called velvet tamarind, which I particularly like and is delicious. It’s something I used to snack on quite a lot when I was little, and I remember collecting the shell of this fruit because they had a really fun velvety skin (hence the name), and for a time I thought they used those shells to make velvet. True story.
And the best part about this spice mix is that you can use it for any type of meat curry – chicken, beef, lamb, whatever. See a full list of my curry recipes here to see all the meat and vegetarian curries that I’ve made using this incredibly versatile roasted curry powder.
You can get Sri Lankan roasted curry powder from Sri Lankan or Indian Specialty stores, or make it yourself with my easy Sri Lankan roasted curry powder recipe.
Recipe
Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results whenever available.
Common Measurement ConversionsIngredients:
- 1.5 lb pork loin chops or shoulder – a pork cut with some fat is preferable for this curry
Marinade
- 4 tsp black pepper whole
- 6 cardamom pods husk removed and seeds crushed.
- 1.5 tsp Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper optional
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
Curry
- 2 Green chili Sliced. Jalapeno or serrano will work too. Remove the seeds to make the chili mild.
- 1 inch ginger minced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ medium yellow onion chopped finely
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste or lemon juice (if needed)
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 2 tsp sugar
- More salt to taste
Instructions:
- Cut the pork into ½ – 1 inch cubes. If the pork chops have bones you can add those to the curry as well, as they add more flavour.1.5 lb pork
- Crush the cardamom seeds and black pepper in a mortar an pestle. Mix this with the curry powder, salt, cinnamon, cayenne pepper.4 tsp black pepper, 6 cardamom pods, 1.5 tsp Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder, ½ tsp sea salt, ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- Add about 2 tbsp of this spice mix, the tamarind paste, and 1 tbsp oil to the cut pork and mix to coat. Leave to marinate for a few hours (up to 8 hours/overnight).1 tbsp tamarind paste
- The remaining spice mix can be stored for another curry or added to this curry when cooking if you need to add more spice.
- The next day, bring the meat to room temperature before cooking.
- Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the bay leaves and ginger and onions, and saute till the onions become translucent. Add the garlic and sliced jalapeno peppers and saute for another 30 seconds.1 inch ginger, 3 garlic cloves, ½ medium yellow onion, 2-3 bay leaves, 2 Green chili
- Add the marinated pork and sugar and stir to mix well. Add about ½ cup of water and bring this to a boil.2 tsp sugar
- Lower the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 1 hour. Check on the curry, and add extra water if it dries out.1 tbsp tamarind paste, More salt to taste
- Taste and add more salt and tamarind paste to taste – only if needed.
- You can serve this curry immediately, but it tastes better after it has rested for a little while. Even better the next day!
Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
The reason why I love this curry so much is the balance of flavours. If you’d like to increase that beautiful peppery heat (and the colour), just add a little more black pepper.
The addition of tamarind paste give this curry a delicious sour note that complements the heat really well. And since it’s a meat curry, you can pair it with a number of side dishes like salads, vegetable curries, lentil curry etc.
Our favourite way to eat this however is with a side of coconut sambol (a traditional Sri Lankan dish) or green pepper coconut sambol (pictured below).
This is a curry we love eating no matter what protein we choose to make it with. Pork seems to work best though, because of the texture and the flavour of the meat. And it’s one of Mr K’s ultimate comfort foods.
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