Spice Up Your Life with Sri Lankan Pork Curry & Coconut Roti

Dear Foodies! Get ready to take your taste buds on an exotic and flavourful adventure with Sri Lankan cuisine! From aromatic spices to succulent meats and fresh seafood, the culinary traditions of the island nation are a feast for the senses. But be warned, the mouth-watering aromas and bold flavours might just make you forget your table manners and dive in headfirst! So come hungry and get ready to experience the explosion of flavours that is Sri Lankan cuisine.

Sri Lankan cuisine is a unique blend of spices, flavours, and textures that are heavily influenced by its geography and history. Located in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka is an island nation that was colonised by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British, each of whom left their mark on the country’s cuisine.

Today I am presenting the iconic and irresistible Sri Lankan pork curry and roti. This dish is a perfect example of the rich, complex flavours that Sri Lankan cuisine has to offer. It brings together tender chunks of belly pork, simmered in a rich and fragrant curry made from a tantalising blend of aromatic spices and creamy coconut milk. Paired with soft and fluffy coconut roti, this dish is the ultimate comfort food that will warm you up from the inside out. So, get ready to indulge in this mouth-watering delight that will transport your taste buds straight to the vibrant streets of Sri Lanka!

Pork Curry

To make the pork curry, you will need:

500g of belly pork and/or shoulder, cubed
1 onion, chopped
Pinch of Curry Leaves and Pandan leaves
4 garlic cloves, minced
5g of Tamarind and/or Garcinia
2 full tablespoon of roasted Ceylon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 black pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon of Ceylon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/4 to 1 teaspoon chilli powder (to your taste)
3 to 4 Cloves
5g of grated Ginger
5g of Lemon Grass
2 to 3 Green Chillies
300ml of thick coconut milk (can be prepared with Maggi coconut powder)
Salt, to taste
Coconut/Vegetable oil

Instructions:

Mix salt, pepper, and tamarind/garcinia with pork cubes well and leave at least 45 minutes to marinate.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pork and cook until lightly browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. This will get the meat tender, warm, and absorbent.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Now sauté the onion, garlic, cloves, cardamoms, curry leaves, and mustard until soft and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Mix the curry powder to the mix and heat for another 1 minute.
Add the pork back to the skillet and stir to coat with the spice mixture.
Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cover the skillet. Cook for 30-40 minutes, or until the pork is tender and cooked through.
Add grated ginger and lemon grass in the last 10 minutes and test for salt and adjust accordingly. This will preserve their fragrances and flavour in the curry. Now it’s done!

Coconut Roti

To make the coconut roti, you will need:

2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grated/shredded coconut
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup coconut/vegetable oil

Instructions:

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and shredded coconut.
Add the water and vegetable oil and stir until a dough forms.
Knead the dough for a few minutes until smooth and elastic.
Divide the dough into 8-10 equal portions and shape it into balls.
Flatten each ball into a thin, round disc.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a teaspoon of oil and cook each roti for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and cooked through.

Now serve the pork curry and coconut roti together for a delicious and satisfying meal. The creamy, spicy pork curry pairs perfectly with the sweet and savoury coconut roti, making for a truly unforgettable taste experience.

Butcher Bro 1 – The Art of Meat

The first leg of my journey into the meaty underbelly of Cambridgeshire starts with The Art of Meat in Arbury. Owned and run by Jon West (not to be confused with the tinned fish peddling John West), this is very much a traditional butchers shop with a village feel, right on the edge of town.

Established in 2005 they take great pride in sourcing their products as locally as possible, with an eye on sustainability and quality. This quote from their website sums their attitude up quite well:

“Local free range meats and poultry, sourced from people we know who love what they produce.”

Three times the age of your average supermarket Chicken.

The proof is, as they say, in the pudding. With Jon’s colleague Ayden very keen to point out their Chickens from the award winning Fosse Meadows, known to slow grow the oldest chickens in Britain, it’s clear that ethics are also high on their agenda.

Despite their small retail space they have a decent range, encompassing all of the classic cuts your typical retail customer might be looking for. They also stock some marinated options, and even some kebabs for those of us too busy (or lazy) to push a stick through meat themselves.

I’ve been thinking long and hard about how to measure each Butcher’s quality, and I’ve decided that the humble sausage will be the barometer. It’s also a fantastic excuse to have a regular fry up. Art of Meat make their own sausages and have a broad selection. When I asked which was their best, the lad behind the counter said he felt the simple Salt & Pepper sausage was top. 100% pork with a bit of seasoning.

I ended up purchasing one Salt & Pepper, one Hobson’s Choice (their Newmarket equivalent) and one Toulouse. But no fry up would be complete without bacon, so I went for a personal favourite of mine – Treacle Cured Back Bacon. They buy the bacon in, but again with an eye on the utmost quality.

I made a quick stop over the way at Les Ward (this is as close to a greengrocer review you’ll get out of me Neil B.) to grab some other fry-up essentials. I snagged myself some swanky heritage tomatoes, mushrooms, and eggs, then headed back (in my Hyundai hybrid for those that care) to rustle up some lunch all day breakfast style.

I’m a big fan of cooking my tomatoes low and slow, so they went in the oven with a bit of salt and pepper, and a tiny sprinkle of sugar. Then I got into the serious business of cooking my meat.

As a general rule, the best test of bacon quality for me is all about shrinkage. Despite clearly not being a dry cure, there was prescious little in the way of shrinkage and the bacon held up very well. Treacle Cured Bacon can be a bit of a pig (geddit…) to cook, as the extra sugar content lends itself to burning. Much like the toms, I took my time.

I enjoyed all of the sausages, with the Toulouse probably just pipping the salt and pepper to top spot for me. The bacon was also delicious. We’re going to need some metrics to keep track of who’s the best of the bunch, and by virtue of being first I’m going to have to leave some room for others to creep ahead.

The main metric for all of these reviews will be on the quality of their sausages. Or from now on, their Bangerbility.

Towards the end of my visit Jon came back from delivering Steak & Honour their daily minced beef. We got to talking about facial hair (as a proud owner of a curly tash myself) and Jon explained he used to have a classic handle-bar. He holds a deep longing to sport some mutton chops, but out of love for his wife he’s held back.

So for science (shits and giggles) let’s see if there’s any correlation between facial-fuzz and bangerbility. I’m gonna award Jon a facial-fuzz score of 2.5 mutton chops out of 5. Must try harder. 😜

I caught up with Jon after my visit, and he clearly takes a lot of pride in the people he employs. Rightly so, they were a credit to him. Full of knowledge, and with top notch customer service skills. Jon says “I am really lucky to have them and I hope they know I appreciate it”.

Jon himself spent a year as a butcher in ’84 before returning to his studies. Ironically pursuing a career in Plant Biotechnology and Genetics. Sick of 3 year contracts and grants, not to mention academic wage scales, he took a punt on buying a Butcher’s Shop. Almost 18 years later, that punt continues to pay dividends. Much to the benefit of Arbury’s residents and fans of another Cambridge institution – Steak & Honour.

Bread & Meat – Cambridge

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and miraculously I had nothing booked in my calendar, so the wife and I decided to pop into Cambridge and catch up on the ever changing food scene in Cambridge.

Every time I come into the city (which is nowhere near as often as I’d like) there seems to be new places which I don’t recognise. One of these places was Bread & Meat on Bene’t St, near the Corn Exchange.

There is no denying that the marketing guy behind Bread & Meat is a genius. You know exactly what it’s about and what to expect. I had only walked into a shop called Toast an hour prior and it turned out to be a clothing shop. 🤷‍♂️

The place was rammed but the team were still able to find us a table. As you can see from the photo above, it’s a very minimalist design. This isn’t a place meant for a date or special occasion but quite simply a way to grab great quality food quickly (which is what you want 90% of the time).

I could really see myself popping in here if I happened to pass Bread & Meat on a daily commute. I kept thinking that a place like this would thrive at a railway station because the service was prompt and the food came out quickly. Even on a Saturday!

The menu had a good selection with six different sandwiches available. They also do milkshakes, coffee, brownies, and beer.

Everything on the menu had real thought put into its sourcing. Outdoor reared British meat, award winning Suffolk ice cream, ethically sourced organic coffee, and home made mayonnaise and gravy. Nobody should be leaving here with a guilty conscience. Considering this, I thought the prices were reasonable… especially for the centre of Cambridge.

For the sake of reviews, we both try and make sure to have something different from their menu to give you a wider variety of the food on offer. Unfortunately, we both couldn’t resist their signature dish, the Porchetta sandwich – Outdoor reared British pork, fresh salsa verde, and a streak of crackling through the middle.

The sandwich came out in great time. The service was impeccable. This is not just credit to the waitress but the chef’s too. They have a great system going with huge joints of pork ready to cut and throw into a sandwich, so it only takes a moment to make. The pork joints are a sight to behold!

The Porchetta sandwich was a great size and meat portions were generous too. You literally get what it says on the tin here at Bread & Meat. The fresh salad verde was like a herby pesto which really added an extra dimension to the sandwich and it really worked.

The real star of the show however was the crackling. This streaked through the sandwich and gave it an incredible crunch which really made the sandwich pop. The crackling was absolutely perfect. I couldn’t recommend this sandwich enough!

I ordered a side, as I’m always worried that the mains wont fill me up. After finishing the Porchetta sandwich I now realise how absurd that was as it was plenty on its own.

I went for a bowl of Pautine however, which is chips in gravy and unpasteurised cheese. This is an up market take on the northern classic though is apparently Canadian French too 🤷‍♂️

This was also a delicious dish which was something I’ve never seen on my travels in Cambridge before. The chips on top did not inspire much but as you got further down you were greeted with a very thick cheesy gravy which utterly blew me away.

Once we were finished we asked the waitress for our bill and we were on our way. Quick, easy, and delicious!

Thanks for reading!