Perhaps the most famous of all Goan pork dishes, it is known as Sorpotel in Konkani, though in our home, we always used the traditional Portuguese name, Sarapatel. Every cook insists their own mother’s version is the best—and I am no exception! Here is mine."
Ingredients
Prepare the Pork & Liver
1.5 kg Belly pork
350g pork liver
½ onion
1 level tsp turmeric
½ tsp Salt
2 cups water
Sorpotel Masala
15 red Kashmiri chilies (for deep colour and mild heat)
15 red Bedgi chilies (for vibrant colour and spicy heat)
20 black peppercorns
15 cloves
1 ½ tsp cumin seeds
3 inch piece cinnamon stick
1 inch piece fresh ginger
20 garlic cloves
½ to 1 cup Goan coconut vinegar or white vinegar
Cut Masala
4 medium onions chopped fine
6 green chillies cut lengthways
1-2 tsp tamarind paste (or juice from 30g tamarind soaked in 1½ cups hot water)
50g Palm jaggery (or 2 tsp sugar)
Cooking Steps
Step 1: Simmer and Dice the Meat
Place the belly pork, liver, ½ onion, turmeric, and salt in a large pan. Add 2 mugs of water (or just enough water to cover the meat). Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the meat is tender. Do not over boil.
Remove the meat and liver from the stock, and leave to drain in a colander until cool completely.
Do not discard the liquid - strain the meat stock and keep aside to add later when cooking the Sorpotel.
Once cool enough to handle, cut the belly pork into tiny 1 cm cubes.
Cut the boiled liver the same size pieces as the pork.
Step 2: Brown the Meat
Pork: Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the cubed pork in batches for 2-3 mins until lightly browned. Transfer with a slotted spoon directly into the reserved meat stock.
Liver: Quickly fry the diced liver in the same pan until lightly browned - do not over-fry or it will become tough. Remove and transfer to the stock along with the pork.
Step 3: Grind the Sorpotel Masala
Place the Kashmiri chillies, Bedgi chillies, peppercorns, cloves, cumin seeds, cinnamon, ginger and garlic into a high-speed blender.
Pour in ½ cup of Goan coconut vinegar and blend on high until completely smooth. If the paste is too thick, splash in the remaining vinegar ( or a little water) until you have a rich, thick, uniform paste.
Step 4: Make the Sarapatel
Heat 4 or 5 tbsp oil in a large deep pan over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onions and fry until soft and golden brown.
Add the ground masala paste and fry for 4-5 minutes. Swirl a splash of water inside the blener jar to catch any remaining paste and pour it into the pan.
Bring the mixture to a simmer, then stir in the fried pork, liver and all of the reserved stock.
Add the tamarind liquid, slit green chillies, palm jaggery and salt. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes to let the flavours meld .
Taste the curry and adjust the flavours adding more salt, vinegar or jaggery to your liking.
Cook's Tip: Like most authentic Goan dishes, Sarapatel improves immensley with age. Prepare it a day or two before serving, gently reheating it once a day to let the flavours mature and mellow.
Serve hot with traditional Goan sannas, pulao or fresh crusty white bread