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Indian cooking / Dishes / Boksa Pok
Boksa Pok (Pork with Mustard Leaves)

Boksa Pok

Pork with Mustard Leaves
Non-vegetarian●●●Origin Tibal North East IndiaPrep 15 minutesCook 45 minutes

A comforting Naga pork stew gently thickened with cooked rice and flavoured with bitter mustard greens and a hint of chilli.

Finishing spice

2.6 gSprinkled into the stew at the very end (step 5)
01
Chilli powder · Lal Mirch Powder
2.6 g1 teaspoon
spice
Leave ready to sprinkle directly into the pan.

Everything else

01
Short-grain rice · Chawalrinsed and drained
32 g2½ tablespoons
grain
02
Pork with fatcut into 4-cm / 1½-inch pieces
1000 g
meat
03
Mustard leaves · Sarson
500 g
vegetable
04
Ginger · Adrakpeeled chopped
24 g1 piece
aromatic
05
Bicarbonate of soda · Meetha soda
2.3 g½ teaspoon
other
06
Salt · Namak
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Pour 625 ml of water into a large, heavy-based pan and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat. Add 2.5 tbsp rice and boil until completely soft and fluffy.
  2. Add 1000 g pork and bring the liquid back to a boil. Leaving the pot uncovered, cook for roughly 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until the meat is cooked through and the starch from the rice thickens the sauce.
  3. Tear 500 g mustard leaves into bite-sized shreds and add them to the pan along with 24 g chopped ginger. Continue cooking and stirring for another 10 minutes.
  4. Stir in 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda and salt to taste. Turn the heat down slightly and simmer for 5 minutes more.
  5. Scatter the finishing spice into the pot, stir well to incorporate, and remove from the heat.

Don't have something?

Short-grain rice
  • Rice

    Use the same weight; rinse well and cook with slightly less water than short-grain rice, checking often. Texture will be less sticky.

  • Broken rice

    Use the same weight but reduce water by about 10%; it cooks faster and gives a softer, stickier result.

  • Parboiled rice

    Use the same weight; soak for 30 minutes and allow 10–15 minutes longer cooking. It is firmer and less creamy.

Pork with fat
  • Pork with fat and bones

    Use the same weight; bone-in gives more flavour and needs 10–15 minutes longer. Remove bones before serving.

  • Chicken thigh

    Use the same weight, cut into chunks. Leaner and milder; add 1 tbsp oil and cook 10 minutes less.

  • Lamb shoulder

    Use the same weight, cut into chunks. Stronger flavour and needs 15–20 minutes longer; skim fat.

Mustard leaves
  • Mustard greens

    Same leafy vegetable; use the same weight, wash well and shred. Cook until wilted, 5-8 minutes.

  • Spinach

    Use the same weight; much milder, so add a pinch of mustard powder or a few mustard seeds for bite. Cook 2-3 minutes less.

  • Collard greens

    Use the same weight, shred finely; cook 5-8 minutes longer until tender. Bitterness is closer than spinach.

Ginger
  • Fresh ginger

    Use equal weight; scrape off the skin and grate or finely julienne according to the recipe.

  • Ginger paste

    Use equal weight; stir straight into the sizzling aromatics, taking care as the extra moisture may spit.

  • Ground ginger

    Use 15 to 20% of the weight; add alongside ground spices, noting it imparts warm, dry heat rather than zesty freshness.

Bicarbonate of soda
  • Baking soda

    Use the same weight; it is the same ingredient under another name.

  • Baking powder

    Use about 3 g baking powder for 1 g bicarbonate of soda; it already contains acid, so expect slight extra rise and a different taste in baking.

  • Alkaline water

    Only for soaking or tenderising, not baking; use enough to cover and expect a much weaker effect.

Chilli powder
  • Red chilli powder

    Use 100% of the weight. Provides direct, sharp heat and red colour in equal measure.

  • Kashmiri chilli powder

    Use 150% to 200% of the weight if matching colour, but add a pinch of black pepper or hot chilli if you need equivalent fiery heat.

  • Cayenne pepper

    Use 75% to 100% of the weight. Offers a sharp, clean heat with slightly less earthy depth and less crimson colour.

Similar dishes

Wak Pura
Pork with Mustard Leaves and Rice
Wak Pura tastes richer from rendered pork fat and has a sharper heat from fresh green chillies, without the pungent warmth of ginger.
  • Same: Like this dish, Wak Pura is a pork and mustard greens stew seasoned with chillies and thickened with rice.
  • Different: Wak Pura thickens the broth with powdered rice instead of cooked rice, uses cooking soda to break down the greens, and relies on fresh green chillies rather than ginger and chilli powder.
Mustard Greens with Ginger, Garlic & Chillies
Mustard Greens with Ginger, Garlic & Chillies tastes peppery and pungent with fresh green-chilli heat, while this dish is a comforting pork stew with bitter mustard greens and only a hint of chilli.
  • Same: Mustard Greens with Ginger, Garlic & Chillies shares mustard leaves, ginger, chilli and salt with this dish.
  • Different: Mustard Greens with Ginger, Garlic & Chillies lacks pork, rice and bicarbonate of soda, and it uses vegetable oil, ginger garlic paste and green chilli in a quick dry-style method instead of a rice-thickened pork stew.
Voksa
Pork Ribs
Voksa tastes smokier with sharp black pepper pungency, whereas this dish has warm ginger-chilli heat and a thicker broth.
  • Same: Voksa is also a simmered pork stew prepared with bitter mustard greens.
  • Different: Voksa uses pork ribs seasoned with black pepper, omitting the ginger, chilli powder, and cooked rice thickener used in this dish.
Ili
Pork Stew with Ginger
Ili has a more pronounced ginger heat and lacks the bitter, leafy bite found in this dish.
  • Same: Both are Northeast Indian pork stews cooked with rice and seasoned with fresh ginger, chilli powder, and salt.
  • Different: Ili omits the bitter mustard greens and relies on a higher proportion of fresh ginger.