Sorpotel Dish Goa

A spicy pork recipe which rightfully has its own fan base and most of the time is the centre of meal-time conversation in any Goan celebration.

It is usually served at festivals (such as Christmas and weddings). It is said to have originated by the Portuguese and Goa carries on the tradition.The dish requires the use of the pork along with the liver, the heart and the kidney of the pig which is cooked in a very spicy sauce. The taste improves from day to day.Each family proudly flaunts its version of the must-have Christmas dish - although it is prepared and served whenever the need for a special meal arises.

Sorpotel includes regular ingredients like pork, liver, spices and in some versions pork blood, roasted blends of spices - recipes of which are guarded amongst families like state secrets. Use of different utensils is also said to vary taste - so it is common to have cooks dedicate an earthen pot or a copper one to the preparation of sorpotel.

Ingredients:

1 kg boneless pork
1 pork liver, 1 heart, 1 tongue, 2 kidneys
3 cups water
12 dried red chillies/peppers
12 peppercorns
12 cloves garlic
1 inch piece ginger
1 tsp cumin seeds
8 cloves
2 one-inch pieces cinnamon
¼ cup vinegar
½ cup oil
1 peg coconut feni
Salt to taste
6 green chillies/peppers, chopped
4 medium onions, chopped fine

Preparation:

Wash and pat dry the meats. Put in a deep pan with the water on medium heat. Cover with a lid and parboil the meats, (approx. 20 minutes). Remove from the fire, cool and dice the meats fine. Keep aside the water.

Put all the spices except the green chillies/peppers and onion, into the blender/grinder with the vinegar and grind to a fine paste. Heat the oil in a deep pan on medium heat and lightly fry all the diced meat, stir frying continuously till it is lightly browned.

To the fried meat add the ground spices in vinegar and stir fry for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste, coconut feni, any remaining vinegar, the stock of the boiled meat , chopped onions and green chillies. Lower the heat and let the sorpotel simmer fro 45 minutes or more. Take care to stir it occasionally. When the oil comes to the top and the sauce is thick, remove from the heat.

Remember the sorpotel tastes better on the 3rd or 4th day, after it has been warmed up once a day till the day it is served. It is customary to serve sorpotel with sannas for special occasions.