Pepper Curry Paste

Pork
Dry Fry

Serves 4  ·  20 minutes  ·  Two ingredients

Pork Pepper comes from Shalet's travel experiences in Coorg.

Coorg has this bold style of pork curry that stays with you. Peppery, earthy, a little tangy, and full of depth. Shalet brought back those memories from travelling there, and that became the starting point for this paste.

It is inspired by travel, not by one fixed recipe. It is about the feeling of eating something rich, dark and full of character.

Coorg-inspired Kerala pork dry fry made with Basha Pepper Curry Paste — dark sticky spiced pork pieces with black pepper and curry leaves

Why it tastes this way

This paste is inspired by the bold pork curries of Coorg. It is peppery, earthy and deeper than the other pastes, which is why it works well with pork, beef, mushrooms, jackfruit and roasted vegetables. It is made for richer, darker curries.

What you need

  • 1kg pork, cut into small pieces
  • 1 Basha Pepper Curry Paste, 150g pouch or jar

Half the pouch or jar is enough for 500g of pork.

  1. Bloom the paste

    Heat a pan on medium-high. Add the paste with no oil and let it cook for about a minute, stirring. It will sizzle, the black pepper will hit your nose, and the colour will go a shade darker. That smell means it's ready.

  2. Add the pork

    Add the pork pieces and stir so every bit gets coated in the paste. Keep stirring for a couple of minutes. You want the pork to sear slightly and the paste to cling to each piece.

  3. Cook it dry

    Put a lid on and cook for 5 minutes. This traps steam and starts cooking the pork through. Then take the lid off and cook for another 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will reduce and stick to the meat. You'll know it's done when the pork looks dark, sticky and fragrant, not wet.

More variants

More ways to use the Pepper paste — coming soon.

More recipes coming soon