Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry

Cut Pork belly into 4 cm cubes, leaving the rind on if it has any, and pat them very dry. Dry meat browns; wet meat steams.

⚠ Tip: Pork belly gives the classic unctuous result. Shoulder works too but the sauce stays thinner.

Put Fennel seeds, Cloves and Green cardamom pods in a dry pan over medium heat and toast, shaking, until the fennel smells toasty and the cloves darken a shade. Tip into a bowl to cool. Grind the toasted spices to a fine powder in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar. Keep it separate — it goes in later than the curry powder so it stays aromatic.

⚠ Tip: This is what makes the curry black: roasted, not raw, spice. Stop at dark brown — grey-black ash tastes like an ashtray.

Slice Shallots finely, crush Garlic and grate Ginger into a rough paste. Bruise Lemongrass with the back of a knife and knot Pandan leaves so it stays in one piece.

⚠ Tip: Use a shallot, not a brown onion: sweeter, less watery, and it melts into the masala instead of sitting in it.

Heat 3 tbsp Coconut oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add Cinnamon sticks, Curry leaves and the bruised lemongrass and pandan. Let them crackle for 30 sec, then add the shallot, garlic and ginger. Fry gently until soft and pale gold, about 8 min — do not rush this.

⚠ Tip: Curry leaves must hit hot oil, never water. If they do not hiss when they land, the oil is not hot enough.

Add Sri Lankan roasted curry powder, Red chilli powder, Ground black pepper, Ground turmeric and the ground spice blend to the pot. Fry over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 min. The masala should darken to the colour of coffee and smell roasted, not raw.

⚠ Tip: Low heat, constant stirring. Chilli powder scorches in seconds and turns the whole pot bitter.

Turn the heat up, add the pork and toss to coat every cube in the masala. Fry for 5 min, turning, until the meat is browned at the edges and the whole pot is slick and dark.

⚠ Tip: The masala sticks to the pork; that coating is the black crust on each piece at the end.

Add Kudampuli, 1½ tsp Salt, Jaggery and just enough water to barely cover the meat. Bring to a simmer, clamp the lid on and cook over low heat for 1 h 5 min, until the pork is completely tender and a cube squashes under a spoon.

⚠ Tip: Goraka is the sourness — the same fruit as Malabar tamarind. Too much and it turns astringent; taste at the halfway point before adding more.

Take the lid off, fish out the cinnamon, pandan and lemongrass, and cook over high heat for 10 min, until the sauce thickens into a dark, glossy masala that clings to the pork and the oil begins to separate at the edges.

⚠ Tip: You want the gravy almost dry, lacquered onto the meat — watery black curry is not finished.

Off the heat, stir in 1 tsp Coconut vinegar to sharpen it, then taste: it should be sour, peppery and deeply savoury. Scatter Green chillies over if you want more heat and serve with lime wedges on the side.

⚠ Tip: This curry is better the next day. Cool it fast, fridge it, and reheat gently with a spoonful of water.