I finished my last exam at noon today and I simply couldn’t wait for the weekend – I went straight to my local butcher and got me some pork belly!!!

The butcher gave me quite lean pork belly but when I explained that I needed the fat from the pork belly for the recipe to work he cut some fat from the back end of the belly and gave this to me in a separate bag..

Anyways I made it as you recommended for cooking on a stove top without a pressure cooker – it tasted so very nice and was just the thing I needed after a hard and stressful exam time!!!

I’m with you on the fatty meat craving – whenever I’m stressed, sick, feeling down, homesick (for Sydney, Australia) or the weather is awful (which in Northern England is quite often)I ALWAYS make a curry with nice fatty meat!!!

Its amazing and I don’t know how it works but a simple meal of meat curry, rice, chappati’s and if I’m lucky dhal too can work such wonders..

I LOVE chicken skin in all its forms – crispy from the oven/on the BBQ to meltingly soft in a curry..

(and the same goes for pork skin and lamb/beef fat too)

It’s funny coz my hubby is not so keen on skin and bone so whenever I make a chicken curry I use chicken wings for me and boneless/skinless thigh fillets for him – I sit down to my plate of fatty boney stuff and he enjoys his meaty bits..

(same goes for the using two different types of cuts in lamb and beef curries)

Minal

Hi Minal, glad you finally got to make it and more importantly that you liked it!! It was a great idea to get the extra fat, fat really makes this dish…
I wish Siv was like your husband and hated the fat and bones, then I’d have all the more for me But he does give me the big bones all the time though….

I think I’ll take you up on that offer of marital advice – apart from a quick murder with some arsenic how do I deal with a Mother In Law from hell who thinks I’m not good enough for her darling youngest baby boy?

I swear without sounding like a she is so to me sometimes!

Even though I’m likely to be her only Daughter In Law ever – her other two boys have yet to marry as they are happy living in sin (or so to speak) with their non Indian girlfriends..

(Not that there’s anything wrong with living together before getting married – we did so ourselves too) Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated..

Minal

PS: I’ve my exams on Wednesday so I’ll be making this over the weekend – I’ll tell you how it goes..

ouch, I am not a person to give any advice on in-laws Sorry to hear about the in-law from hell Minal… Let me know if you ever learn how to tackle the issue… okay, I am kidding, mine is very sweet, I am the evil one

My hubby used to sign and go ‘oh not again’ when I’d say that I’m going to cook curry but now he’s getting quite excited at the prospect of trying something new – this is quite an achievement when you consider that the man would refuse to eat curry more than twice a week!

Glad he is enjoying Indian food … Hope the pork curry turns out well!

Thanks for the quick reply – I will try it out this weekend and get back to you with the results…

Also congratulations on your 10 year milestone!!!

I have been married for just over a year (18th March 2007) and can you believe on our first anniversary my Husband forgot my card!!!

(he did remember my present – it was something I’d hinted about an he’d picked up on so was his one saving grace on the night)

Minal

PS I also hope my pictures turn out a nice as yours do over the years – we both seem to have become ‘rather contented’ and put on a bit of weight so if anything we’re beginning to look worse as they years go by rather than better!!!

Thanks for the wishes Minal… 1 year? Let me know if you need any marital advice Yeah, I know what you mean by the “contented” part… you saw our not-so-gradual weight gain over the years… it’s just the natural progression I guess!

I stumbled across your blog about a fortnight ago when I typed ‘crab curry’ into Google.

I love your blog and can’t wait to try the recipes!

I was just wondering – how would I cook this one if I don’t have a pressure cooker?

I usually roast my pork belly as it gives a wonderful crispy crackling but being Indian I’ve always thought of trying to make a pork belly curry..

I have to agree with you: part of the flavor of any meat is in the fat – I tend to trim away large bits of fat (for waist watching purposes!) but always leave some on for flavor.

After the dish is cooked, if I’m good I’ll skim off any large bits of oil that is floating on top of the curry – if I’m lazy or indulgent I’ll just leave it and have it fat and all!

I figured if I ever have a guest that’s really worried they could skim the fat off before eating, eat a smaller portion or just relax and stop being a pest about it!

Must say I’ve had no complaints from the husband or any guests so far!

Hi Minal, thank you for your kind words…

If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can do this in a non-stick pan with a tight lid and add a cup of hot water to the pan where I said “mix well and close the pressure cooker” . Bring to a boil, close the pan with a tight fitting lid, lower the heat and cook for about 20-30 minutes till the meat gets softer. Check it occasionally and if it gets too dry, add more hot water and cook till the meat is completely cooked and soft and there is a thick gravy remaining.

Let me know how this turns out!

Hi Samit, glad it turned out well for you… and happy to meet another fat lover… On a cold rainy day nothing like a spicy, oily plate of meat and rice…

Cheers