Sri Lankan-Style Pork Curry And Coconut Sambal

Take your steak[s] out of the fridge, open the packet and let it adjust to room temperature

Peel and chop your red onion[s] and dice your tomato[es] finely

Chop your coconut flakes roughly and chop your parsley finely, including the stalks

Cut your green chilli[es] in half lengthways, deseed (scrape the seeds out with a teaspoon) and chop finely

Combine the diced tomato, chopped coconut flakes, and chopped parsley with half the chopped chilli (can't handle the heat? Go easy!) and 1/4 of the chopped red onion (save the rest for later!) in a bowl

Add the juice of half your lime[s], 1 tbsp [1 1/2 tbsp] [2 tbsp] olive oil and a generous pinch of salt

Give everything a good mix up – this is your coconut sambal

Heat a large, dry, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) over a medium heat

Crush your cardamom pods open by squashing them with the side of a knife and discard the outer green pods

Once hot, add the cardamom seeds, curry powder, black mustard seeds, and a very generous grind of black pepper and cook for 1-2 min or until fragrant

Once fragrant, transfer to a small bowl and set aside for later – this is your toasted curry powder

Add your basmati rice and 300ml [390ml] [600ml] cold water to a pot with a lid and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to very low and cook, covered, for 10-12 min or until all the water has absorbed and the rice is cooked

Once cooked, remove from the heat and keep covered until serving

Return the pan to a medium heat with a generous drizzle of vegetable oil

Once hot, add the remaining chopped onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 3-4 min or until beginning to soften

Meanwhile, peel (scrape the skin off with a teaspoon) and finely chop (or grate) your ginger

Peel and finely chop (or grate) your garlic

Pat your pork loin steak[s] dry with kitchen paper, then trim the fat and discard

Chop the pork loin steak[s] into large, bite-sized pieces

Once the onion has softened, increase the heat to high and add the chopped pork to the pan

Cook for 5-6 min or until the pork is beginning to brown all over

Add the chopped ginger, garlic, remaining chopped chilli (not a fan of spice? Just add a little!) and the toasted curry powder and cook for 1 min further

Add your tamarind paste with 50ml [75ml] [100ml] water, 1/2 tbsp [3/4 tbsp] [1 tbsp] sugar and the juice of the remaining lime and cook for 5-6 min further or until the pork is cooked through (no pink meat!) – this is your Sri Lankan-style pork curry

Season the Sri Lankan-style pork curry with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and stir it all together