Mangalorean Pork Bafat

Bafat is the name of a spice powder made by Mangalorean Catholic families once a year: red chillies, coriander, cumin, pepper, turmeric and cloves, roasted and ground in large batches. Pork bafat is cooked for every feast, often with radish or bitter gourd.

Serve with sanna (steamed rice cakes made with toddy) or with rice.

• Serves 5
• Prep 20 min
• Cook 70 min
• gluten-free · dairy-free · Spicy
• Famous in Karnataka (Mangalore)

Ingredients

• 1 kg pork with some fat, in 3 cm cubes
• Bafat powder: 15 Kashmiri chillies, 2 tbsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp peppercorns, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 6 cloves, 3 cm cinnamon, 1 tsp turmeric – dry-roasted and ground
• 3 onions, sliced
• 10 garlic cloves and 5 cm ginger, crushed
• 4 green chillies, slit
• 60 ml vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt
• Optional: 1 white radish, in chunks

Method

1. Mix the pork with 4 tbsp bafat powder, half the onions, ginger, garlic, green chillies and 1½ tsp salt.
2. Put in a heavy pot with 200 ml water. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 50 minutes, stirring now and then.
3. Add the remaining onions, the radish and the vinegar. Cook uncovered 15–20 minutes until the pork is tender and the gravy thick.
4. Add sugar, check salt and sourness.

Tip: Make a double batch of bafat powder – it keeps for months in an airtight jar.

Shop the ingredients

Everything you need for this recipe is in stock at Farmah’s – order online or pick it up at Annenstraße 41, Graz.