Pork Palak
Pork Palak is a comforting, flavour-packed dish that blends tender pork with the earthy richness of spinach. I always use a mix of pork belly and shoulder for juicy, melt-in-your-mouth bites and a deep, savoury gravy. This recipe brings back memories of my Uncle Sunny’s cooking in Goa — every spoonful takes me right back. The creamy spinach pairs beautifully with the spiced pork, making each bite both hearty and satisfying. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Servings: 4
| 500g Spinach |
| 1kg pork, diced (shoulder and/or belly work best) |
| 2 heaped tbsp of ghee or unsalted butter |
| 1 large onion, finely chopped |
| Thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely chopped |
| 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped |
| 2 green chillies, chopped |
| 2 tomatoes, chopped |
| 2 tsp Mandala king masala |
| 1 tsp Mandala garam masala |
| ½ tsp cumin seeds |
| Salt to taste |
| Lemon wedges (optional garnish) |
| Splash of single cream (optional garnish) |
| Deseeded red chillies (optional garnish) |
Prepare:
| Dice your pork into 1-inch pieces and set aside. |
| Finely chop your onion, garlic, ginger, chillies as described in the ingredients list and set aside. |
| If using unwashed spinach then give it a good rinse, drain and set aside. |
Cook:
| Take a large saucepan, add some oil and fry the pork for 2 minutes to seal the edges. |
| Add 1 tsp of salt and cover with water. Bring to a boil and lid the pan, allowing the pork to cook for 30-40 minutes. |
| In a separate pan, add the ghee, cumin seeds, chopped onions and fry for 5-8 minutes, until the onions have developed a deep brown colour. |
| Add the chopped garlic, ginger, fresh green chillies and fry for 3 minutes. |
| Add the Mandala king masala and fry for 30 seconds. |
| Add the chopped tomatoes and a splash of water. Turn up the heat and cook this mixture down until the water has mostly evaporated away and the tomatoes have become really thick and pulpy. You must keep stirring in order to stop the mixture from sticking to the base of the pan. |
| Now, add the spinach in handfuls and stir each time to break it down. The spinach will wilt and reduce in size quite quickly so keep stirring and repeating this process until nearly all the spinach has been added. Keep one handful of spinach aside for later. |
| Once all the spinach has been folded into the sauce, cook for 3 minutes and remove from the heat. |
| After 30-40 minutes has elapsed, the pork should be cooked. Firstly check that the pork is well cooked by taking a fork to one piece to see how easily it breaks. The meat should be easy to cut through with a fork and mostly soft and tender. If it requires more cooking then add more water and cook a little longer as required. If the pork is soft and well cooked, then add the meat into the tomato and spinach pan and stir. |
| Taste test for salt and add more as required, or ladle some of the salty broth from the pork pan into the sauce to add salt and flavour. |
| Add the garam masala and gently simmer until most of the water has disappeared and you are left with a thick gravy. Your pork palak is now ready! |
Garnish:
| Garnish with lemon wedges, a drizzle of cream and chopped red chillies. Serve with Indian bread or rice and enjoy. |
