Grace’s Sarapatel (Sorpotel)
Best known of all Goan pork dishes, it is called Sorpotel in Konkani, but we always called it Sarapatel, (the Portuguese way), at home.
Every cook claims his/her own mother’s recipe to be the best so I’m sharing mine with you!
Ingredients
Prepare the Pork
1.5 kg Belly pork
350g pork liver
½ onion
1 level tsp turmeric
½ tsp Salt
2 cups water
Cooking Steps
Step 1
Prepare the Pork
Add the pork and liver to a pan with enough water to just cover the meat. Cover the pan and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the meat is tender. Do not over boil.
Remove the meat/liver and leave to drain in a colander until room temperature.
Strain the meat stock left in the pan and keep aside to add later when cooking.Cut the cooled boiled pork into strips and then into tiny cubes (approx. 1 cm).
Cut the boiled liver the same size as the pork.
Add 2 tbsp of oil to a pan and fry the cubed pork in batches for 2-3 mins until lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the meat stock.
Next fry the cubed liver until lightly browned. Do not over fry or it will become hard. Remove and add to the stock with the fried pork.
Step 2
Grind the sarapatel masala ingredients together to a fine paste, adding the vinegar and a little water if required.
Sarapatel Masala paste:
15 red Kashmiri chilies (mild)
15 red Bedki chilies (hot)
20 peppercorns
15 cloves
1 ½ tsp cumin seeds
3” cinnamon
1” ginger
20 garlic cloves
½-1 cup Goan coconut vinegar or white vinegar
Cut Masala
4 medium onions chopped fine
6 green chillies cut lengthways
50g Palm jaggery or 2 tsp Sugar
1-2 tsp tamarind paste
Make the Sarapatel
Step 1
Fry the finely chopped onions in 4 or 5 tbsp of oil until soft and brown. Add the masala paste and fry well for 4-5 minutes.
Rinse the masala bowl with a little water and add to the onion mixture in the frying pan. Bring to a boil and then add the fried pork/liver with the stock.
Soak 30g tamarind in hot water, squeeze and strain to make 1 ½ cups of tamarind water. Add this to the meat in the pan. Stir adding more water if required.
Finally add 1 tsp salt, the 6 slit green chillies, 2 tbsp palm jaggery and tamarind paste. Cover and cook for a further 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the flavours adding more salt, vinegar or sugar as required. Sarapatel improves with age and should be made a couple of days before eating. Heat once a day to help it mellow.
Serve: with sannas, pullau or white bread