Goan Pork Sorpotel is an essential Indian pork Curry from the former Portuguese colony and the west Indian state of Goa.
Sorpotel is a spicy favorite during Christmas time but recently it has often while appeared at weddings and other festivities in Goa.
During Christmas time, it is a tradition in each Goan house to cook the delicious Pork Sorpotel curry.
I have been an avid fan of Pork Sorpotel since I have been introduced to the Goan dish a couple of years back.
Already, while it is cooking on the fire, I get tempted to dip my spoon into the dark red meat curry.
The flavors are just incredible, spicy hot but with lots of depths from the pork meat and some special ingredients, that give the recipe a nice touch.
Sorpotel is a special Indian pork dish, that one needs to have experienced in life!
The Sorpotel gravy is cooked and served in Catholic houses in Goa.
The preparation is often made 3-4 days before Christmas.
Some of the ingredients in the pork sorpotel will defer from Taluka to Taluka (district), resulting in slight different Sorpotel recipe variations all over Goa.
I have tasted many different pork Sorpotel curries in North Goa, and I can tell you that non-tastes like the other.
I think my mother in laws sorpotel recipe is the best, in so many levels!
The Sorpotel was introduced by the Portuguese, who colonized Goa for 500 Years.
I have no idea what the original dish must have looked like but I can only guess that it was much less spicy hot.
Or it can be as well that the Portuguese understood, that the humidity was a problem here while conserving meats so they might have taken apart in the spicy masala paste evolution in the warm Indian coastline state.
Apparently, Sorpotel is cooked and enjoyed in Brazil too, however in South America, it’s known as Sarapatel.
This particular pork sorpotel recipe has been adapted to our contemporary time.
Traditional pork sorpotel includes innards such as liver, gyzard as well as pork blood and my recipe doesn’t include these ingredients, because they are at times hard to be found in a normal supermarket in the western world.
Also, our family in Goa tends to prefer the pork sorpotel without the organs because this particular recipe is already in that extend flavorful.
Most Goan Catholic houses, at the coast in north goa, prepare pork sorpotel without innards and blood these days. It’s convenient and the taste doesn’t really get compromised.
The recipe is pretty easy, but keep in mind that you should plan in a couple of days. It is said that a Sorpotel pot tastes always better after 3 days at least.
The first day you prepare the main cooking of the pork, together with all the ingredients and on the 2nd, 3rd and even 4th day, you ll just heat up the whole pot for 20 minutes each time.
This technique will give you intense, irresistible and gorgeous flavors to your pork sorpotel curry.
Flavors which you have never even dreamed of before will be dancing on your tongue!
For the best result, follow this Sorpotel recipe, step by step.
Try to get some Feni for the extra taste dimension.
If you don’t get feni, substitute with plum schnapps or vodka.
More festive main course meals
Have you ever tried pork Sorpotel or is it a common dish in your family?
Goan Pork Sorpotel Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 2.2 pounds Boneless Pork Meat with some fat on it
- ½ Onion sliced
- 2 Green Chili Pepper slit into half
- 2 cups Water
For the Curry Paste
- 20 Kashmiri Chili dried
- 3 inch Ginger
- 20 cloves Garlic
- 15 piece Black Peppercorn
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 10 piece Cloves
- 3 inch Cinnamon Stick
- 1 cup Vinegar Coconut or White Wine
- ½ cup Oil
- Water if too thick
and also…
- 6 piece Green Chili Pepper chopped fine
- 4 medium Onion chopped fine
- Salt pinch
- 2 Tablespoon Feni optional, *see Notes
Instructions
- Grab a big pot and place your previously rinsed Pork meat into it, together with the sliced Onion, slit open Green Chilies and 2 Cups of Water. Keep it on medium heat and cover the pot to parboil the pork meat for about 20-30 minutes or until it is tender.
- In the meanwhile prepare the Masala paste. Combine the Kashmiri Chili, fresh Ginger root, Garlic cloves, Black Pepper, Cumin Seeds, Cloves, Cinnamon stick, Vinegar, Oil, and some Water if necessary in a blender to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
- Once the meat is tender, take it out and dice it fine as shown (even the fats, they will give flavor and melt anyway).
- Heat up a pan and fry your diced Pork pieces batch by batch until they get some color.
- In the same time heat up a big pot and fry your chopped green Chilies and Onions until they turn golden brown.
- Add all the cooked pork meat to the fried Chilies and Onions and stir fry for 2 minutes. Then continue to add in the curry paste and salt together with the meat stock and the Feni.
- Mix it all well and bring it to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer the sorpotel. Stir frequently and cook it until it thickens, then keep aside.
- For a special flavor twist, cook it the following day for another 20 minutes and again for 1-2 days more.
- Best served with flavored butter rice or Pulao rice or lemon rice. You can also serve the sorpotel with puris, flatbread and regular bread rolls.
Notes
- Feni is Goan alcohol made of cashew fruits or coconut. You can add that if you have feni or add another neutral-tasting alcohol like vodka or schnapps.
- Serve the spicy sorpotel with rice, pulao, puris, chapati or simply bread rolls.
- Sorpotel is served in small quantities with other meals in a buffet-style setting.
- The recipe is for a large quantity because it doesn’t make sense to take the trouble for a small quantity. Hence why this curry is meant to be enjoyed the following days.
- The pork curry tastes even better when frozen in batches and reheated again.
