A home-made curry you’ll want to add to your recipe collection.

There’s no denying that when it comes to winter, a home-made curry pairs seamlessly with the season. Just picture, the heater is warming up your home, you’ve got your favourite pair of socks on and you’re just about to spoon your way into a tantalising curry – a dish that makes every dinner a delightful occasion.

So whether you want to call it a winter warmer or a four season staple, regardless, your search of a new and delicious curry ends here.

Cue The Spice Tailor. Created by British food writer and Indian chef, Anjum Anand, The Spice Tailor provides a range of Indian-inspired meal kits that create quick, easy and healthy meals that are free from any artificial additives. And, more importantly, they taste just as bewitching as any take-away or jarred-sauce creation. If you have time on your hands, making a curry from scratch is a real pleasure, but for those days when you’re in a rush, this is the perfect option.

So, to help your search for the next best winter recipe to add to your recipe collection, Anjum Anand has provided us with the recipe behind her Slow-Cooked Karnataka Pork Curry.

Cooking time: 2.5 hours | Difficulty: Medium | Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CURRY:

15g roughly chopped root ginger
7 large garlic cloves
1 tomato, quartered
3 tbsp vegetable oil
½ tsp brown mustard seeds
15 curry leaves
2 medium-small onions, finely chopped
1-3 green chillies, stalks removed, pierced with a knife
½ tsp ground turmeric
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (optional)
500g pork shoulder, cut into cubes, with some fat
3½ – 4 tsp white wine vinegar
Handful of coriander, leaves and stalks to serve. 

FOR THE SPICE BLEND:

1½ tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
3 small cloves
5mm cinnamon stick
1 tsp fennel seeds
10 black peppercorns
pinch of brown mustard seeds

METHOD

1. Blend the ginger, garlic and tomato until fine, adding a little water to help the blades turn. Set aside. 

2. Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the mustard seeds and, once the popping calms down, add the curry leaves, onions and green chilli – cook until browned. Add the blended ginger paste, the turmeric, salt, cumin and chilli powder and cook until all the liquid has reduced and the remaining masala releases oil (around 10 – 12 minutes). 

3. Meanwhile, dry-roast the spices for the spice blend for 40 – 50 seconds, or until lightly golden. Pour straight into a mortar and pestle and grind to a fine powder.

4. Add the pork to the masala in the pan and brown a little in the paste. Add 3 teaspoons of the spice blend and the vinegar. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer, stirring often and checking to see if you need to top up the water (if so, use boiling water from the kettle). Cook until the pork is tender which can take anything from 1 to 2 hours.

5. Taste, adjust the seasoning, adding more of the spice blend if you like. Stir in the coriander and serve hot with rice or Indian breads.

If you’d rather let Anjum Anand do all the hard work for you, head over to The Spice Tailor website to search through their exquisite range of Asian to Indian meal kits.

Want to try one of Anjum Anand’s other recipes? We’ve been let in on a secret on how to make the best Classic Butter Chicken. Pair your curry’s with this iconic fried cauliflower recipe from Melbourne restaurant Bekka.