Pork & chickpea curry

Contains pork – recipe is for non-Muslims only
A rustic Indian one pot with tender, marinated meat is a perfect dish to make in batches and freeze

Cook:2 hrs 15 mins
Prep 20 mins plus marinating

Serves 10
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 431
fat 16g
saturates 4g
carbs 24g
sugars 9g
fibre 5g
protein 47g
salt 1g

Ingredients

1½ tsp black peppercorn
2 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp coriander seed
2 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp chilli powder
½ tsp turmeric
2 garlic bulbs, peeled, cloves separated
100ml red wine vinegar
1½ kg/3lb 5oz pork shoulder, cut into 2½ cm pieces
50ml vegetable oil
3 large red onion, finely chopped
2 red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
400g can chopped tomato
2 tsp dark muscovado sugar
2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed
450ml chicken stock
rice, to serve

Tip

Freeze in batches
Freeze the curry in batch sizes to suit your needs. If you do this in freezer bags, and lay them flat in the freezer, this will make defrosting a lot quicker. Once defrosted, transfer to an ovenproof dish, add a dash of water, cover with the lid and reheat at 180C/160C fan/gas 4 for 20 mins or until piping hot.

Method

Heat a small pan over a medium heat. Add the peppercorns, fennel, coriander and cumin seeds, and dry-fry for about 1 min, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Tip into a small food processor with the chilli powder and turmeric. Put the garlic in the pan and fry for 1-2 mins until flecked golden. Add the garlic and vinegar to the spices and process to a coarse paste.
Put the pork in a bowl. Add the paste and mix with your hands to combine – it’s best to use disposable gloves, as turmeric stains. Leave to marinate for 15 mins.
Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Heat oil in a flameproof dish and fry the onions until beginning to colour. Increase heat to high, add the pork and fry, stirring often, for about 10 mins until darkened. Add the peppers, tomatoes and sugar, and cook for 10 mins more until the tomatoes have reduced and the paste clings to the meat. Stir in the chickpeas and stock. Put on the lid, bring to a simmer, then put in the oven for about 1½ hrs until the meat is tender and the sauce thickened. Eat immediately with rice, or cool before freezing in batches for up to 3 months.