Kerala Style Nadan Pork Fry / Ularthiyathu

For all those people who have given up non-vegetarian for lent, my apologies for posting this recipe now :) Easter is almost here and I'm sure those who are on Lent must be counting down the days impatiently. Like many other things, giving up non-veg for lent is slowly becoming a thing of the past.

The idea of “Lent” is also being customised, like most other things in life. I'm hearing about more and more people giving up sugar, chocolate or at times, things which aren't related to food at all. There are people who have given up watching youtube videos, movies or checking Facebook

Well, if you are wondering, what I've given up, it's…. nothing! As I've told you many times before, I'm better at preaching than practising ;) Anyways, let's get on with our recipe, shall we?

Since I don’t eat Pork, I don’t cook it often. Like I've said before, I started cooking Pork, mainly because of the recipe requests here on MariasMenu. Back home, I've seen people thoroughly enjoying it, especially after 40 days of Lent. So I thought I'd share a favourite recipe of many non-vegetarians to celebrate Easter in full swing.

I got this recipe from my friend Suja chechy. She prepares pork often for her family and she was kind enough to share this wonderful recipe with us. Thanks Suja chechy! Jose did all the tasting for this one and I also did a teeny tiny bit tasting by having some thengakothu. Honestly, the roasted smell and the dark rich colour of the Pork tempted me. I even tried to convince myself that it's beef ;) This is a simple traditional style Pork Fry / Ularthiyathu recipe. Unlike other non-veg recipes, masala powder is barely used in this recipe. The flavour mostly comes from the pork itself, the masala is used in a supportive role to enhance the pork's flavour.

Btw, if you are looking for Pesaha Appam and Paal recipe for Maundy Thursday, please check it out here. Also, you can see our Easter Special Menu here.

Here is the recipe…

Marinate cleaned pork with ingredients listed from crushed ginger to curry leaves for around 15 mins…

Add 1/2 cup water and cook pork on stove top in a claypot (manchatti). Bring water to boil and reduce flame to the lowest. Cover and cook till pork is done, it will take around 45 – 60 mins (refer notes). Make sure you add hot water in between, so that it doesn't stick to the bottom…

Heat oil in a wide pan and crackle mustard and fennel seeds. Add sliced small onion and curry leaves. Let the small onion brown…

Add cooked pork, along with water (if there is any), and mix well. Cook on low flame till the pork is nicely roasted and becomes dark in colour. You can add coconut oil in between, if it becomes dry…

Nadan Pork Ularthiyathu

Course: Side Dish, Starter

Cuisine: Indian, Kerala, Keralan, South Indian

Servings: 4

Author: Maria Jose Martin

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Ingredients

• 550-600 gms Pork measured after cleaning
• 1 tbsp Crushed ginger
• 1.5 tbsp Crushed garlic
• 2 Green chilli chopped
• 1.5 - 2 tsp Pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 2 tsp Coriander powder
• 1 tsp Vinegar
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup Thengakothu (coconut bits)
• Salt
• Curry leaves

To temper

• 12 - 15 Shallots / small onion sliced
• 1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp Fennel seeds
• Coconut oil

Instructions

1. Marinate cleaned pork with ingredients listed from crushed ginger to curry leaves for around 15 mins. 

   
   

2. Add 1/2 cup water and cook pork on stove top in a claypot (manchatti). Bring water to boil and reduce flame to the lowest. 
   

3. Cover and cook till pork is done, it will take around 45 - 60 mins (refer notes to see how to cook in pressure cooker). make sure you add hot water in between, so that it doesnt stick to the bottom.
   

4. Heat oil in a wide pan and crackle mustard and fennel seeds. Add sliced small onion and curry leaves. Once the small onion browns, add cooked pork, along with water (if there is any), and mix well. 

5. Cook on low flame till the pork is nicely roasted and becomes dark in colour. You can add coconut oil in between, if it becomes dry.
   

6. Serve as a starter or as a side dish with rice.

   
   

Recipe Notes

If you are pressure cooking pork, add only 1/4 cup of water and cook for 1 whistle on high flame. Keep the cooker closed till the pressure drops. Open the cooker and continue cooking if there is excess water. Once the water is almost dried, continue the next step as mentioned in the recipe.

Once the pork is cooked, do a taste test and add more masala (if required) while roasting. You can add the masala powder after the small onion browns and before adding the pork.

If you prefer a spicier version, add 1/2 - 1 tsp of pepper powder towards the end of roasting the pork.

As you can see in the picture, my pork dish has become a bit dry. Since I wanted to get the colour correct for the picture (and was running out of time), I roasted it for a longer time. The color develops as the pork rests, the colour usually darkens by next day or so. Also try to cover and roast it, to retain the moisture.