Deep, dark and gloriously sticky, this Sri Lankan-inspired pork curry is made for slow weekend cooking. Sri Lankan Spice brings fragrant coriander, fennel, cloves and cinnamon to the sauce, while tamarind and a little brown sugar create a savoury-sour glaze around the tender pork. Use our Sri Lankan Spice blend to bring all those beautifully balanced spices together without measuring them separately.

Ingredients

• 1kg boneless pork shoulder, cut into 4cm chunks
• 2 tbsp Sri Lankan Spice
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 20g fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 300ml chicken stock
• 10 curry leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Cooked rice and cucumber sambol, to serve

Instructions

1. Toss the pork with 1 tbsp Sri Lankan Spice and the salt. Leave for 20 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a heavy casserole over a medium-high heat. Brown the pork in batches, transferring each batch to a plate.
3. Lower the heat and add the remaining oil and onion. Cook for 8 minutes, then add the garlic, ginger and remaining Sri Lankan Spice for 1 minute.
4. Stir in the tomato purée, tamarind, sugar and soy sauce. Return the pork and any juices to the casserole, then add the stock, curry leaves and cinnamon stick.
5. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook gently for 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pork is tender.
6. Remove the lid and simmer for 15–20 minutes until the sauce is dark, reduced and clinging to the pork. Discard the cinnamon and serve with rice and cucumber sambol.

Timings

Prep: 20 minutes, plus 20 minutes marinating | Cook: 2 hours | Serves: 6

Serving Suggestions

Serve with plain rice and cucumber sambol to balance the rich sauce. Leftovers are excellent stuffed into warm flatbreads with crunchy slaw.

Why This Recipe Works

Pork shoulder becomes meltingly tender with slow cooking, while the uncovered final simmer concentrates the tamarind, spice and caramelised sweetness into a glossy coating.

Allergy Notes

Contains soya. Use tamari instead of soy sauce if suitable, checking the label carefully. Check stock and tamarind paste for additional allergens.

🌶️ Try It With

Build on the flavours already inside the blend with these useful cupboard spices:

• Ground Cloves
• Ground Cinnamon
• Fennel Seeds
• Curry Leaves

🍽️ More Recipes Using Sri Lankan Spice

• Sri Lankan Coconut Chicken Curry
• Sri Lankan Fish Curry with Tomato & Lime
• Sri Lankan Roast Pumpkin & Chickpea Curry
• Sri Lankan Spiced Lamb Cutlets with Coconut Sambol
• Sri Lankan Coconut Dhal with Crispy Onions

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