Porco balichão tamarindo – Macanese tamarind-braised pork

• total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

900g of pork shoulder, cubed (you can also use pork neck or ideally Ibérico pork cachaço if you can find it)

3 bay leaves, finely crushed

1 tbsp of tamari

1/2 tsp white pepper

3 tbsp of tamarind paste

400ml of pork stock, or water

3 tbsp of shrimp paste, ideally balichão

1 knob of fresh ginger, 2cm in length, finely chopped

3 tbsp of brown sugar, raw

6 tbsp of grapeseed oil

Japanese short grain rice, cooked, to serve

2 spring onions, whites only, chopped

1 knob of fresh ginger, cut into matchsticks

Thai basil, leaves only, fried in oil until crisp

fried garlic flakes

2 red chillies, sliced

1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions

Season the pork with the tamari, white pepper and crushed bay leaves, then place in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours (or ideally overnight)

The next day, place the tamarind paste in a bowl and add around 150ml of hot pork stock (or water). Stir until fully combined

Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large sauté pan and brown the pork cubes all over (you may need to do this in batches). Once caramelised, remove the pork from the pan along with any juices and set aside

Pour the remaining oil into a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the shrimp paste and ginger. Gently fry, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes. Add the pork and any juices to the pan along with the tamarind water and sugar. Pour in the remaining pork stock until the meat is just covered (you may not need all of it). Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 30 minutes or until the pork is tender

When the pork is tender and the sauce has reduced, taste for seasoning and transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle over the garnishes and serve with the cooked Japanese rice