My absolute favourite way to eat pork is this Spicy Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry! Cooked with dark roasted curry powder, tamarind paste, and black pepper, this black pork curry is packed with big, robust flavours!
A good curry recipe is to boiled rice, what a lead guitar is to a rock band. One cannot exist without the other. And without a good curry, boiled rice is just that. Bland and boring.
Which is why a good meat curry is always a good thing to have in your arsenal. I’m not the biggest fan of pork by the way. I generally prefer a good chicken curry or beef curry or lamb curry (mutton curry) or a fish curry. Which is why, I prepare my pork dishes with extra flavour, texture, and spice that truly elevate the dish in every imaginable way.
Like this pork carnitas recipe, which is one of my favourite ways ever to eat pork! Same with this easy pork ramen, slow braised pork roast, habanero and peach BBQ pork ribs!, and devilled pork – a very Sri Lankan dish, the pork version of this spicy devilled beef recipe.
Spicy Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry
The name “black pork” comes from the colour of the final product, as you may have guessed. And that colour comes from the dark roasted curry powder that’s used to prepare this dish which is mixed with tamarind paste and black pepper.
I did add some cayenne pepper purely for Mr K’s benefit, because his threshold for heat is the same as that of a fire breathing dragon. But feel free to leave out the cayenne pepper for less heat.
As for the photos of the black pork in this post, I’m really not sure they do this dish any justice. There are some foods/dishes where photos just don’t convey how incredibly flavourful they are, no matter how much you twist and turn your body to get that perfect shot or perfect angle.
This was one of them. So just take my word for it. If you like a good meat curry, this will be a staple in your house.
Tamarind is a crucial addition to this recipe. I have made a variation of this curry using lemon juice instead, and while it’s still delicious, it’s just not the same thing. You should easily be able to find tamarind paste in your local Asian/Indian grocery store and even on Amazon.
Tamarind and another type of “fruit” called goraka are regularly used in Asian cooking. They both add distinct sour notes to curries and even a hint of sweet/fruity taste too. Tamarind is more popular as it’s used in numerous dishes and there are a few different types of tamarind too.
There’s one type called velvet tamarind, which I particularly like and is delicious. It’s something I used to snack on quite a lot when I was little, and I remember collecting the shell of this fruit because they had a really fun velvety skin (hence the name), and for a time I thought they used those shells to make velvet. True story.
And the best part about this spice mix is that you can use it for any type of meat curry – chicken, beef, lamb, whatever. See a full list of my curry recipes here to see all the meat and vegetarian curries that I’ve made using this incredibly versatile roasted curry powder.
You can get Sri Lankan roasted curry powder from Sri Lankan or Indian Specialty stores, or make it yourself with my easy Sri Lankan roasted curry powder recipe.
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Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry
Ingredients:
- 1.5 lb pork loin chops or shoulder – a pork cut with some fat is preferable for this curry
Marinade
- 4 tsp black pepper whole
- 6 cardamom pods seeds crushed (only the seeds)
- 1 heaped teaspoon of Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder recipe link available above
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper optional
- 3 tsp tamarind paste
Curry
- 2 jalapeno peppers sliced (or 2 serrano peppers if you prefer more heat)
- 1 inch of peeled ginger minced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ medium onion chopped finely
- 1 tbsp lemon juice optional
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp sugar
- More salt to taste
Instructions:
- Cut the pork into ½ – 1 inch cubes. If the pork chops have bones you can add those to the curry as well, as they add more flavour.
- Crush the cardamom pod seeds into a powder and mix it with the black pepper, curry powder, salt, cinnamon, cayenne pepper. Next, crush and mix all of this together using a mortar and pestle.
- Add 2 tbsp of this spice mix, the tamarind paste, and 1 tbsp oil to the cut pork and mix to coat. Leave to marinate for a few hours (up to 8 hours/overnight)
- The next day, bring the meat to room temperature before cooking.
- Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the bay leaves and ginger and onions, and saute till the onions become translucent. Add the garlic and sliced jalapeno peppers and saute for another 30 seconds.
- Add the marinated pork and sugar and stir to mix well. Add about ½ cup of water and bring this to a boil.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 1 hour. Check on the curry, and add extra water if it dries out.
- Taste and add more salt and some lemon juice – only if needed.
- You can serve this curry immediately, but it tastes better after it has rested for a little while. Even better the next day!
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
The reason why I love this curry so much is the balance of flavours. If you’d like to increase that beautiful peppery heat (and the colour), just add a little more black pepper.
The addition of tamarind paste give this curry a delicious sour note that complements the heat really well. And since it’s a meat curry, you can pair it with a number of side dishes like salads, vegetable curries, lentil curry etc.
Our favourite way to eat this however is with a side of coconut sambol (a traditional Sri Lankan dish) or green pepper coconut sambol (pictured below).
This is a curry we love eating no matter what protein we choose to make it with. Pork seems to work best though, because of the texture and the flavour of the meat. And it’s one of Mr K’s ultimate comfort foods.
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Sharon Cella says
I was in Sri Lanka last summer and feared I could never replicate the black pork curry I had there. Then I found this recipe! It’s easy and absolutely delicious! Thank you so much!
Dini says
Yaay! 😀 Thank you for making my day Sharon! I am so glad that you loved this recipe and even more that it reminded you of the curry you had in Sri Lanka! 🙂
Sharon Cella says
By the way, I have to make a triple batch now. My family loves it and it disappears!
Dini says
Yaaay Sharon! This made my day for sure! Thank you so much for letting me know how the curry came out and I love that you and your family will have to make batches! (Sounds like mine too 😀 hahaha!)
Darshi says
What an amazing recipe ! True in its quantities , so predictably comes right every time . I’ve recommended it to many -would also like to enquire whether you have a recipe for chicken curry ?
Dini says
Thank you so much for that wonderful comment Darshi! 🙂 I’m so glad you liked it! I do have a great, go-to recipe for Sri Lankan Chicken Curry, although it’s not on the blog yet. BUT, I’ve been thinking about posting it, and now that you mentioned it, I’m going to do it soon! 🙂 I will let you know when I do.
Henry says
Lovely recipe, not mention of when the jalapeño should go in though….I assume you put them in after the opinions?.
Dini says
Hi Henry! Thank you so much for pointing that out 🙂 Yes, you do add the Jalapeno after the onions, along with the garlic. But you can add the Jalapeno with the onions too. The simmering will ensure that the jalapeno flavour infuses into the curry well. I have fixed the recipe to reflect this too.
Janaki says
I have been looking for a good Black Pork Curry recipe for some time. Will definitely try this. Is the amount of curry powder enough for this quantity of pork I wonder.
Dini says
Hi Janaki!
I used a heaped teaspoon of curry powder to give the flavour of a curry but not let it overpower the sourness (from the tamarind) and peppery spice of a black pork curry. You can use extra if you feel that it might not be enough and even increase the amount of chilli powder too 🙂
This recipe has been toned down slightly for those who may not have curry all the time!
Janaki says
I made the black pork curry last weekend as per your recipe. It was out of this world. This is what my youngest daughter wrote to her sister in DC. ” Aiyo, couldn’t take a pic of our lunch. It was soooo gooood. The black pork curry was amazing. Ammi really outdid herself” Thank you for the recipe.
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life says
I love curry! I need to try this…I just love your recipes, Dini!
Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake says
I love pork, so I would definitely love this dish! It looks amazing!
Petra says
The curry looks so delicious! The flavours sounds amazing and as always gorgeous pictures to make me hungry in an instant! 🙂
Dini says
Thank you Petra! 🙂 I was worried the pictures wouldn’t do justice to the curry… 😀
Stephanie says
MMMM… this looks AWESOME! You know what you’re doing with this one, I always learn so much from you! 🙂
Dini says
Thank you Stephanie!
I’m always learning something new and being inspired from your recipes too! 😀
Contestchef says
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Dini says
Hi Nandy!
Thank you so much! I will definitely popover to Contestchef and check it out! 🙂
Indira illesinghe says
Lovely recipe.It came out very well.Thank you so much.❤️
Jay says
Really enjoyed your recipe. We made it with Goat Meat and kept it overnight as suggested by you. And wow!! the flavours were out of this world. We enjoyed the meat, rice and the coconut sambal combined with unsweetened yoghurt and that seem to enhance the overall flavour/taste of the meal. We do like a bit of yoghurt/onion/green chilli mix with my rice anyway and this mix seem to blend very well. Thank you very much.
Dini says
Thank you Jay! I would love to get my hands on some Goat Meat. It would have tasted incredible! I’m so glad you enjoyed it too 🙂
Next time I will definitely be trying it with a side of savoury yoghurt!
Ginger says
Wow – what an amazing dish! I have not had much Sri Lankan food because I am a wimp when it comes to spices, but this looks just too good to be missed! Thanks for sharing!
Dini says
Thank you Ginger! I hope you do get to try it… I am biased, but I do love Sri Lankan cuisine 🙂
Amanda @ The Chunky Chef says
Delicious!!! I think your photos are fantastic 😀 I know what you mean though… some foods just make the photos difficult to get
Dini says
Thank you Amanda! 😀 You get my struggle right? hahaha!!
Julie is Hostess At Heart says
This looks so delicious Dini! I’ve pinned it!
Dini says
Thank you so much Julie! 🙂
James says
This looks amazing! Not only are your pictures expertly taken, but the subject matter is quite stunning as well. As soon as I get my hands on some tamarind paste, I’m going to have to give this a try.
Dini says
Thank you James! 🙂 I love tamarind paste and it can be used for so many things (Just don’t have it on it’s own!!)
Jess@CookingisMySport says
Well I LOVE me some pork Dini, although I’m the opposite from you: I can live without bacon but sausage, ham and pork shoulder? Forget about it. Lol
This dish looks delicious as usual, thank you for bringing it to the Fiesta!
Dini says
hahaha!! 😀 I think thanks to my husband I’m learning to love Pork, because it’s his favourite… It probably would only takes one incredible Pork Roast to possibly convert me! 🙂
Thank you Jess!
Molly says
will defintelytry looks soooo good. Youy pictures are mouth watering. Would love to hv your receipe for sri lankan crab curry and fish curry. Sti lankan curries hv lots of depth and flavour. Love it
Dini says
Thank you so much Molly! 🙂 I have been keeping your requests in mind! There is nothing more that I love than a good Sri Lankan Crab Curry too… I am really hoping I can get my hands on some good quality crab (Which is very hard to find where I live now!) but I will still keep trying! 🙂