Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Wak Pura
Wak Pura (Pork with Mustard Leaves and Rice)

Wak Pura

Pork with Mustard Leaves and Rice
Non-vegetarian●●●Origin Tribal North East IndiaPrep 15 minutes, plus soaking and drying timeCook 1 hour

A comforting, slow-cooked pork stew prepared with shredded mustard greens and thickened with powdered rice. The rendered pork fat enriches the greens while a pinch of soda softens them into a luscious, savoury sauce.

Ingredients

01
Short-grain rice · Chawalrinsed and drained
200 g
grain
02
Pork · Suar ka Goshtcut into 5-cm / 2-inch pieces
1000 g
meat
03
Mustard leaves · Sarsonshredded
500 g
vegetable
04
Green chilli · Hari Mirchde-seeded and cut in half
12–18 g2–3 chillies
vegetable
05
Bicarbonate of soda · Meetha soda
~0.3 gpinch
other
06
Salt · Namak
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Cover 200 g rice with water in a bowl and let it soak for 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly, spread the grains across a clean kitchen towel until completely dry, then mill them in a spice grinder to a fine powder.
  2. Place 1000 g pork into a heavy-based pot set over low heat without any oil or water. Cook for around 30 minutes, turning the meat occasionally to avoid scorching, until all the released moisture boils off and a reddish crust starts developing on the pan bottom.
  3. Once the pork fat renders, add 500 g mustard leaves, 12–18 g green chilli, and salt to taste. Cook and stir continuously until the greens collapse and incorporate thoroughly with the meat. Cover with a lid and cook on low heat for 5–10 minutes.
  4. Pour 500 ml water into the pot, give it a good stir, and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.
  5. Stir in the ground rice powder and 0.3 g bicarbonate of soda. Simmer gently for a final 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the pork is thoroughly tender.

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
  • Lamb shoulder

    Use equal weight, diced similarly. Cook using the same slow braising method; lends a richer, slightly gamier flavour and retains moisture well.

  • Chicken

    Use equal weight of bone-in thighs. Cut into pieces and reduce simmering time by about half (cook for 25-30 minutes) to keep the meat succulent.

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.

Green chilli
  • Chilli powder

    Use 10 to 15% of the weight (about 1/4 teaspoon per chilli); imparts dry pungent heat and reddens the dish without the grassy crunch.

  • Dried red chilli

    Use 1 dried pod per fresh green chilli; snap in half and temper in hot oil for a deeper, toastier heat.

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.

Similar dishes

Boksa Pok
Pork with Mustard Leaves
Boksa Pok tastes more ginger-forward and noticeably bitter, lacking the fresh green chilli punch and richer, soda-softened texture of this dish.
  • Same: Boksa Pok is also a slow-cooked pork and mustard greens stew thickened with rice.
  • Different: Boksa Pok incorporates ginger, dry chilli powder, and cooked rice, whereas this dish uses fresh green chillies, powdered rice, and cooking soda.
Wookhan
Pork Stew
It tastes lighter, sweeter, and more aromatic with ginger heat, lacking the thick, earthy richness of this dish's mustard green sauce.
  • Same: Wookhan is also a simmered pork stew seasoned with salt and fresh green chillies.
  • Different: It adds ginger paste and a large amount of onions to create a clear broth, omitting this dish's mustard greens, cooking soda, and powdered rice thickener.
Oma Bedoi Saonai
Barbecued Pork
Oma Bedoi Saonai has a smoky, charred flavour and lacks the bitter greens, chilli heat, and thick gravy of this dish.
  • Same: Oma Bedoi Saonai shares the same base of pork seasoned minimally with salt.
  • Different: Instead of being stewed with mustard greens, green chillies, and powdered rice, Oma Bedoi Saonai is skewered and roasted dry over hot coals.
Wak Serjak
Pork Curry
Wak Serjak tastes tangier and lighter from tomatoes and ginger, while this dish is richer and more savoury from pork fat and rice-thickened mustard greens.
  • Same: Wak Serjak and this dish are both pork stews seasoned with green chilli and salt.
  • Different: Wak Serjak uses vegetable oil, ginger paste, onion and tomato as its souring agent, while this dish uses rendered pork fat, mustard leaves, powdered rice and bicarbonate of soda and has no tomato.