Burmese Pork Curry Recipe, Mogok-style - Wet-thar Hnut

Mogok Pork Curry (photo by Luiz Hara)

My mother is from Mogok, a chilly gem-mining town in the hilly north of Burma, where everyone adores pork (I mentioned before that they refer to wages as "pork funds"). 

This classic Mogok curry is more or less used to wean Burmese children - my nephews and nieces can eat bowls and bowls of the stuff, as it's sweet and mild, yet addictive. 

Before my youngest nephew could talk properly, whenever he visited his grandparents, he'd ask for "pork and yice" (pork and rice), and I'm pleased to say that my one year old daughter is now an equally big fan.

BURMESE PORK CURRY, MOGOK-STYLE
(Wet-thar Hnut)

Serves 4 to 6, freezes well

• 1 kg pork leg or shoulder, with some fat, diced into 2.5cm cubes
• 100ml malt vinegar
• 4 medium white onions, peeled
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 2cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled
• 4 tbsp groundnut oil
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp mild chilli powder
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Toss the pork thoroughly in the vinegar and then discard the vinegar. Place the pork in a large saucepan and add enough water to just submerge the pork. Cover the saucepan with a lid and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to medium low and continue to simmer the pork for 15 minutes, still with the lid on. 

Remove the pork and set to one side; pour the pork juices into a bowl and reserve. Do not wash the saucepan - you'll reuse it later. 

Slice the onions into wedges, and bruise the garlic. Pound the ginger into a rough pulp in a pestle and mortar, and add 2 tablespoons of water in the well of the mortar to make ginger juice.

Heat the oil in the saucepan on medium-high. Add the pork cubes and toss for 4-5 minutes until browned all over, followed by the onion wedges, bruised garlic and ginger juice (but not the ginger pulp) and stir-fry for another minute. Add the reserved pork juices, sugar, light and dark soy sauces, chilli powder and pepper, and 500ml water. Cover the saucepan with a lid and bring to the boil.

Now turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 ½ hours OR transfer everything to a lidded casserole dish and bake at 160 degrees for 1 ½ hours.

When the time is up, the pork should be tender and fall apart if you poke it with a fork. Served with lots of fluffy white rice and stir-fried greens on the side.