Packed full of flavour and with meltingly tender pork, this Easy Peasy Pork Curry is super quick and easy to prepare – then leave your oven (or slow cooker) to do all the hard work! Perfect for busy days, when you still want to eat well.
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Why do you never see pork curry?
Have you ever noticed that when you go to a curry restaurant or get an Indian takeaway, you see lamb, chicken and prawn curries, but never pork?
The most likely explanation is because many Indian restaurant owners are Muslim and do not eat pork for religious reasons.
But can you make pork curry?
Absolutely! And what’s more, it’s delicious.
If you like pork and curry, you will love pork curry!
How to make Pork Curry
And this recipe is so easy to make – the oven does all the hard work! (Or the slow cooker – full instructions for both oven and slow cooker given in the recipe card below.)
All you need to do is fry up some diced pork. Then remove the pork to a plate and fry some sliced onions, garlic, ginger, chilli flakes, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika and garam masala. Next, add passata, coconut milk, salt, pepper and chopped peppers, plus the pre-cooked pork, to the pan. Bring to the boil, then place in a preheated oven for two and a half hours. Finally, remove from the oven and stir in some fresh coriander (cilantro).
What is the best cut of pork for Pork Curry?
Fatty cuts like pork belly or pork shoulder work best – I find leaner cuts dry out too much because of the long slow cooking.
What to serve with Pork Curry
Serve this Easy Peasy Pork Curry with all your favourite curry accompaniments such as basmati rice and/or naan bread, Bombay potatoes, pickles and chutneys. (I love lime pickle and mango chutney with this curry!)
Or why not pair this homemade pork curry with one of my easy peasy homemade pilau rice recipes?
- Easy Peasy Pilau Rice (Shown in photos)
- Mushroom Pilau Rice
- Vegetable Pilau Rice
- Fruity Pilau Rice
- Multicoloured Pilau Rice
Alternatively, if you are looking for a lower calorie and/or lower carb accompaniment, why not try my Plain Cauliflower Rice or Pilau Cauliflower Rice?
What to drink with Pork Curry
Pork curry goes best with aromatic white wines, such as Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Viognier or Sauvignon Blanc.
Red wine would not be a great match here, but this easy pork curry would also go wonderfully with a fruity rosé from somewhere like Spain, Portugal or Chile.
What to do with leftover Pork Curry
Pork Curry is one of those many, many recipes that actually tastes BETTER the next day, so it’s a great make ahead option!
Put any leftover (or ‘made ahead’) curry in a lidded container and place in the fridge, where it will keep for up to 3 days.
To reheat, simply tip the curry into a saucepan with a splash of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until piping hot all the way through.
Alternatively reheat this Easy Peasy Pork Curry in the microwave until piping hot all the way through.
Can you freeze Pork Curry?
Absolutely! In fact, I recommend you make double the quantity and freeze half for some time in the future when you are super short on time, but still want to eat well!
Simply put the cooked and cooled pork curry into a lidded container and place it in the freezer, where it will keep for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
Easy Peasy Pork Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 600 g diced pork (See Note 1)
- 1 onion sliced
- 3 cloves garlic crushed or grated
- 2 cm ginger grated
- 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 3 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 3 teaspoons garam masala
- 400 ml passata (or chopped tinned tomatoes)
- 200 ml coconut milk (I use light coconut milk)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 red (bell) pepper chopped into bitesize pieces (See Note 2)
- 1 green (bell) pepper chopped into bitesize pieces (See Note 2)
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves (US - cilantro) roughly chopped – plus extra for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 160C / 140C fan / gas mark 3 / 325F.
- Place the oil in a flameproof, ovenproof pan (see Note 3) and heat over a high heat for 1 minute. Add the diced pork and fry for 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until the pork pieces are golden brown.
- Remove the pork from the pan onto a plate. Put the pan back on the heat and turn the heat right down to low.
- Add the sliced onion and cook gently with the lid on for about 5 minutes, or until softened, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic, ginger, chilli flakes, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika and garam masala, and gently fry, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. (Add a splash of water if it gets too dry.)
- Add the passata, coconut milk, salt, pepper and chopped peppers, plus the fried pork, to the pan. Stir and bring to the boil.
- Put a lid on the pan and place in your preheated oven (see Note 3).
- Cook the curry in the oven for 2 hours 30 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure it’s not getting dry. (If it gets too dry, simply add a splash more water and stir, before replacing the lid and returning to the oven.)
- (Alternatively transfer the curry to your slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low.)
- Remove from the oven and stir in the fresh coriander (cilantro).
- Garnish with extra fresh coriander leaves and serve with pilau rice and naan bread.
Notes
- Fatty cuts like pork belly or pork shoulder work best – I find leaner cuts dry out too much because of the long slow cooking.
- Do not cut the peppers up too small or they will almost dissolve into this curry – keep the pepper pieces a bit chunky!
- I use a Le Creuset-style cast iron casserole dish*, (AKA dutch oven) which can go on the hob and in the oven. If you don’t have a pan that can go on the hob and in the oven, simply start this curry in a regular saucepan and then tip it into a (lidded) ovenproof dish to go into the oven.
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Disclosure
*This blog post contains affiliate links, this means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more – thanks in advance!
Michael Mcalpine says
I think you will find that most Indian restaurants are owned and run by people of Pakistani and Bangledishi origin who are Muslim. However the one meat you will not find on a true Indian menu is beef as the cow is sacred to Hindu people
Eb Gargano says
Indeed. Though of course, not every person of Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage is Muslim and not every person of Indian heritage is Hindu.
Jul says
Here’s a nice Goan-style pork dish which is quite easy to prepare.
Blend together some garlic flakes, ginger, chillie flakes or chillie powder, turmeric powder, cumin seeds, peppercorns, a small cinnamon stick, few cloves and a dash of vinegar.
Apply this marinade to diced pork with some salt (go less, you can add some later to the bubbling curry later). Let the pork sit for about 2 to 4 hours.
In a vessel, bring together the marinated pork, some finely sliced red onion, some passata and a little sugar. Simmer for around 20 minutes till the pork is done. Add a little water only if and when necessary to make a thick curry.
Fatty cuts are best for this recipe. Enjoy!
Thanks for YOUR recipe… It’s lovely!!
Eb Gargano says
Thank you for sharing your recipe! And great to hear you enjoyed mine 😀
Noel Salisbury says
Further to Michael & EB’s comments above – Hindu’s shun Pork too.
( It’s a generalism that India always = Hindu and Pakistani / Bangladesh always = Muslim. )
Now where Sikh’s fit into the scheme of things porcine, I really don’t know