Sorpotel, that quintessential Pork dish that is part of almost every single Goan gathering, be it a Birthday, Wedding, Christmas or even just a Sunday family gathering. You have not graduated Goan culinary class until you have made and mastered this classic dish. I've loved the process involved in making Sorpotel and even though it's a long process, the end result is absolutely satisfying to all my senses. Traditionally, this dish is comprised of Pork and also includes a lot of the internal organs, such as blood, liver, heart and tongue. I don't bother with most of the internal organs and stick to good fatty pork and liver.
- Cuisine Goan
- Course Main Course
- Serves 12
- Method Stovetop
- Difficulty Hard
- Cook Time 3 hour(s)
1. Cut 2.5kgs of Pork and 1 Kg of Liver into large chunks. Cook the meat together with a little salt and water while skimming off any sludge that floats to the top.
2. Once cooked, cool the meat down and strain the stock into a container.
3. While the meat is cooling, grind the following ingredients in 2 cups of Red Wine vinegar. 50 Red chilies, 3.5" ginger, 15 flakes garlic, 2 tsp turmeric, 1.5 tsp cumin seeds, 15 peppercorns, 15 cloves and 7" cinnamon. You can substitute a malt vinegar if you like.
4. Here?s what your finished masala should look like.
5. Cut the meat into small chunks around 1cm in size.
6. Fry the chunks in small batches until they start to change colour.
7. For the next stage you will need a couple tablespoons of tamarind pulp, around 2 inches of coconut jaggery and 1 to 2 tsp of sugar.
8. Saute two chopped up onions until they turn a nice golden brown.
9. Add the masala to the onions and continue to saute for a few more minutes. Once the sauce starts sputtering, add the tamarind pulp and the stock to the sauce mix. Bring this to a boil.
10. Once the sauce comes to a rolling boil, add the fried meat and let it cook for around 1/2 hour on low heat.
11. Add the coconut jaggery and sugar and let cook for another 10 minutes.
12. And, we're done! You should end up with a rich, tangy, spicy, with a hint of sweet sauce that you can enjoy with Steamed rice or Sannas. Personally, I like to wait a couple days before digging into the Sorpotel, in order to let the flavours mature. It's worth it! Enjoy!!