Goan Pork Roast
60 Min
DF
NF

Goan Pork Roast

Goa is a tiny province located on the western shore of India off the coast of the Arabian Sea. Rice, seafood, coconut, pork and locally grown spices like black pepper, cardamom and cloves make up its cuisine, which is heavily influenced by Portuguese culture. The Portuguese introduced Catholicism to the locals along with colonizing them for centuries. The upside of this cultural mashup is that the Portuguese introduced Indians to cashews, potatoes, pork, chiles, tomatoes, guava and pineapple.

Goa is the only part of India where pork is consumed quite heavily, again due to the large Catholic population. So, when trying to concoct something meaty for the upcoming Father’s Day, I experimented with this pork loin marinated in Goan spices. In keeping with Goan cuisine, I’ve cooked the pork and the mushrooms in coconut oil but feel free to substitute with another fat like ghee or olive oil. The coconut milk, ginger and red wine vinegar add a lot of bold flavors so go as light or as heavy as you wish with the spices.

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Cook Time

1 Hour + Marination Time

Serves

4

Step 1
Marinate the pork loin in coconut sugar, black pepper, cloves, cardamom, amchur, garlic, salt and coconut oil for at least for 2 to 3 hours up to 2 days.
Step 2
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the marinated pork loin on a baking pan and set in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Then turn the temperature down to 300°F and continue cooking it for another 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the pork rest in the oven for 5 minutes.
Step 3
In the meanwhile, in a frying pan over high heat, warm up the coconut oil and add the cumin seeds. They will pop and sizzle, immediately add the mushrooms and cook on high for 3 to 4 minutes until the mushrooms have wilted slightly. Add the red chile, turmeric, coconut milk, ginger, vinegar and salt. Cook the mushrooms until almost all the liquid has been reduced. If any liquid has come off the pork, add it to the mushrooms.
Step 4
Slice the pork into medallions and serve it alongside the mushrooms, garnished with fresh herbs.

Pork Roast

1 small boneless pork loin (1 – 1.5 pounds)

1 tablespoon brown or coconut sugar

2 teaspoons black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 tablespoon amchur

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons coconut oil


Mushroom Mix

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 pound wild mushrooms 

1 teaspoon red chile

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 tablespoon unpeeled minced ginger

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sea salt

Handful of herbs like cilantro and mint for garnish

Notes & Variations

  • Try to find wild mushrooms like chantarelle, blue foot or maitake to pair with this pork roast. If using cultivated mushrooms, use shiitake and cremini.
  • Goans traditionally use toddy vinegar, which is a little hard to find in stores in the US. Red wine vinegar works well, as does champagne or balsamic vinegar. If using balsamic, use half the amount.
  • Amchur is sun-dried green mango usually found in Indian grocery stores. It is sour in flavor and if you cannot find it, add a squeeze of lemon juice to the pork loin before serving it.
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60 Min
DF
NF

LET'S EAT OUR WAY THROUGH INDIA.

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