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Indian cooking / Dishes / Goan Chilli Pork
Goan Chilli Pork ()

Goan Chilli Pork

Non-vegetarianOrigin Goa

Goan chilli pork is skewered pork tenderloin marinated in a roasted tomato, onion, chilli and tamarind paste, then grilled with pineapple and butter. It tastes hot, sour-sweet and smoky.

Chilli tamarind marinade masala

8 gSoaked then blended into the marinade (steps 4–5)
Soak the chillies, then blend them with the cumin and cayenne into the marinade.

Everything else

01
Pork tenderloincut into bite-sized pieces
500 g
meat
02
116 g2 slices
fruit
03
Butter · Makhanmelted, for basting
to taste
dairy
04
to taste
fruit
05
Onion · Pyazabout 40g, quartered
75 g½ onion
vegetable
06
Tomato · Tamatarabout 150g total weight, halved
240 g2 tomatoes
vegetable
07
12 g4 cloves
aromatic
08
14 g1 tablespoon
oil/fat
09
6 g1 teaspoon
souring agent
10
14 g3 teaspoons
sweetener
11
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Put wooden skewers in water to soak.
  2. Mix 500 g pork tenderloin pieces with 116 g roughly crushed canned pineapple slice in a bowl; set aside.
  3. Put 75 g onion, 240 g tomato, 12 g garlic and 13.5 g vegetable oil on a baking tray; toss to coat and roast for 20–25 minutes, until the vegetables take colour and the garlic softens.
  4. Soak 6 g dried kashmiri chilli from the chilli tamarind marinade masala in warm water for 15 minutes.
  5. Put the roasted vegetables in a blender with the soaked chilli, the rest of the chilli tamarind marinade masala (1.3 g ground cumin and 0.9 g cayenne pepper), 6 g tamarind paste, 13.2 g soft brown sugar and salt; blend to a thick paste.
  6. Pour the paste into a bowl, add the pork and pineapple, and mix well; cover and leave for 1 hour or overnight.
  7. Heat the grill to its highest setting.
  8. Thread the marinated pork onto the soaked skewers, set on a wire rack and grill for 4–5 minutes on each side, brushing with butter and turning halfway.
  9. Serve with the lemon wedge.

Don't have something?

Pork tenderloin
  • Pork

    Use the same weight, slice evenly, and cook a little longer; may be fattier.

  • Pork with fat

    Use the same weight, trim excess fat, and cook slightly longer; more moist and richer.

  • Chicken breast

    Use the same weight and cook for less time; leaner and milder.

Canned pineapple slice
  • Pineapple

    Same weight, cut into rings or chunks and cooked 2–3 minutes longer; fresher and sharper, so a pinch of sugar helps.

  • Canned pineapple

    Same weight, drained; same fruit in chunks, so keep any syrup out unless the recipe wants the sweetness.

Butter
  • Unsalted butter

    Use 100% of the weight. If the original recipe relies on salted table butter, add a pinch of salt to balance.

  • Ghee

    Use 80% to 85% of the weight. Ghee is pure butterfat with moisture removed; it yields a deeper, nuttier flavour and handles high heat better.

  • Vegetable oil

    Use 80% of the weight for frying or tempering. The dish loses sweet dairy richness but remains glossy and light.

Lemon wedge
  • Lime wedge

    Use the same weight; it is sharper and more floral, so taste before adding extra salt or sugar.

  • Lemon slice

    Use the same weight; a slice gives less juice than a wedge, so squeeze it or add a little lemon juice.

  • Lemon juice

    Use about 10–15 g juice for one wedge (roughly 2 tsp), adding at the end; it lacks the peel's aromatic oil.

Onion
  • Shallot

    Use equal weight, finely sliced. Shallots soften and brown faster, giving a slightly sweeter and more delicate base to curries.

  • Cabbage

    Use 80% of the weight, finely shredded and browned slowly with a pinch of asafoetida. Replicates the bulk and natural sweetness in gravies without allium.

Tomato
  • Tomato purée

    Use 40% to 50% of the fresh tomato weight mixed with a splash of water. Imparts a deeper red colour, thicker sauce, and slightly sweeter cooked flavour.

  • Plain yogurt

    Use 60% of the weight, whisked smooth and added on low heat. Provides rich body and sourness, though the gravy becomes paler and creamier.

Garlic
  • Garlic paste

    Use equal weight. Fry gently in oil or ghee with the ginger; incorporates smoothly into curries without visible minced bits.

  • Garlic powder

    Use 15% to 20% of the weight (about 1 g for every 5 to 6 g fresh cloves). Whisk into sauces; gives a savoury, toasted garlic flavour without raw pungency.

  • Shallot

    Use 1.5 times the weight, very finely minced. Sauté until golden; provides savoury allium sweetness, though it lacks garlic's pungent sulphur bite.

Vegetable oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.

  • Ghee

    Use 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.

  • Mustard oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Dried kashmiri chilli
  • Kashmiri chilli powder

    Use 1 g powder for every 1.5 g whole dried chilli; whisk with a spoonful of warm water and stir into the masala to provide identical ruby colour and mild heat.

  • Dried red chilli

    Use 35% to 40% of the weight; discard seeds before tearing into oil to temper. Delivers a much fiercer heat, with significantly less red colouring.

Ground cumin
  • Cumin seed

    Dry-roast briefly and grind finely; use equal weight (1:1). Imparts an even punchier, nuttier, toasty aroma than pre-ground cumin.

  • Ground coriander

    Use equal weight (1:1). Adds mild, lemony sweetness rather than cumin's smoky, earthy bite; curries will taste lighter and less savoury.

  • Black cumin seeds

    Grind finely; use 60% to 75% of the weight. Produces a darker, more complex, smoky-herbal flavour suited to rich gravies.

Tamarind paste
  • Tamarind pulp

    Use 120–150% of the weight and strain; pulp is less concentrated, so simmer a little longer to thicken.

  • Tamarind extract

    Use 150–200% of the weight and reduce gently; extract is already diluted.

  • Lime juice

    Use 60–70% of the weight with a pinch of jaggery; sharper, so add near the end off the heat.

Cayenne pepper or Kashmiri chilli powder
  • Kashmiri chilli powder

    If replacing cayenne, use about twice the weight for similar colour but much less heat. If replacing Kashmiri chilli powder, use the same weight.

  • Chilli powder

    Use 50–60% of the cayenne weight, or 60–70% of Kashmiri chilli powder weight, as it is hotter and less fruity. Add gradually and taste.

  • Mild paprika

    Use about twice the weight for colour. It gives almost no heat, so add a little green chilli or chilli powder if the dish needs pungency.

Brown sugar
  • Demerara sugar

    Use the same weight; it is drier and slightly less molasses-rich, so taste and add a little more if needed.

  • Jaggery

    Use the same weight; it is stronger and more mineral, so dissolve it first and reduce any other sweetener.

  • Granulated sugar

    Use the same weight; it is less moist and less dark. Add 5 g cane molasses per 100 g if you have it.

Similar dishes

Wak Serjak
Pork Curry
Wak Serjak tastes savoury and lightly hot from ginger and green chilli, with less sour-sweetness and no smoky grilled or buttery pineapple flavor compared with this dish.
  • Same: Wak Serjak shares pork, onion, tomato, chilli and vegetable oil with this dish, and both are salted.
  • Different: Wak Serjak is a stewed curry with ginger paste and green chilli, while this dish is skewered and grilled with tamarind, pineapple, butter, dried Kashmiri chilli, cumin, cayenne and brown sugar.
Sorpatel
Spicy Pork & Liver Curry
Sorpatel tastes sharply vinegar-sour and deep savoury-spicy, while this dish tastes hot, sour-sweet and smoky from tamarind, tomato, pineapple and grilling.
  • Same: Sorpatel and this dish both use pork, onion, garlic, dried Kashmiri chilli and salt, and both are hot pork dishes.
  • Different: Sorpatel adds liver, vinegar, olive oil and whole spices such as turmeric, cinnamon, cumin seed, peppercorn, clove and cardamom, and it is slow-simmered as a curry; this dish uses pork tenderloin with tomato, tamarind, pineapple, butter and vegetable oil and is grilled on skewers.
Annanas ka Sherbet
Pineapple Sherbet
Annanas ka Sherbet tastes sweet, tart, citrusy, and sparkling, while this dish tastes hot, sour-sweet, and smoky from grilled pork and roasted chilli-tamarind paste.
  • Same: Annanas ka Sherbet shares canned pineapple and a sour-sweet balance with this dish, using citrus juice and sugar where this dish uses tamarind and brown sugar.
  • Different: Annanas ka Sherbet is an uncooked chilled drink of lemon juice, orange juice, sugar, soda water, and ginger ale, while this dish is grilled pork tenderloin with onion, tomato, garlic, Kashmiri chilli, cumin, tamarind, butter, and oil.
Wookhan
Pork Stew
Wookhan tastes savoury and lightly spiced with a light broth, not hot, sour-sweet or smoky like this dish.
  • Same: Wookhan shares pork, onion, chilli and salt with this dish.
  • Different: Wookhan is a simmered stew of pork, onion, green chilli and ginger paste, while this dish is grilled pork tenderloin with tomato, garlic, dried Kashmiri chilli, tamarind, pineapple, butter and brown sugar; Wookhan lacks tomato, tamarind, pineapple, butter, sugar, dried spices, added fat and a souring agent.