Sri Lankan · Dinner

Sri Lankan black pork curry

Name: Sri Lankan black pork curry
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 3 h 35 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Sri Lankan
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons coriander seeds; 1 tablespoon cumin seeds; 2 teaspoons fennel seeds; 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds; 1 tablespoon black peppercorns; 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut; 2 tablespoons raw white rice; 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut in 1 1/2-inch cubes; 1/3 cup coconut vinegar or apple cider vinegar; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon turmeric; 2 tablespoons coconut oil; 1 large red onion, finely chopped; 2 tablespoons grated ginger; 6 garlic cloves, minced; 16 curry leaves; 1 six-inch pandan leaf, knotted, optional but characteristic; 1 lemongrass stalk, bruised; 1 small Ceylon cinnamon stick; 4 green cardamom pods, cracked; 4 cloves; 4 pieces dried goraka, soaked, or 1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate; 2 cups water, plus more as needed; 2 teaspoons jaggery or brown sugar; 6 cups steamed rice

Fatty pork shoulder slow-braised with vinegar, black pepper, goraka, curry leaves, lemongrass, and deeply roasted Sri Lankan curry powder and coconut until nearly black and intensely savory.

About 3 hr 35 minTotal

About 3 hr 5 minActive

$$Cost

AdvancedDifficulty

Makes 6 servings

Equipment

Use a hot sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl for the covered phase.
Best value covered pot
Lodge Essential Enamel 6-Quart Dutch Oven · EC6D43
View at Amazon
Another workable path: Use a hot sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl for the covered phase.
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How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We matched capacity, lid fit, oven rating, heat retention, maneuverability, care, stable model identity, and usefulness outside bread baking. Kwilt has not baked with this pot.
Lodge Essential Enamel 6-Quart Dutch Oven · EC6D43: The six-quart capacity, heavy cast-iron body, and fitted lid create the enclosed high-heat environment used by these bread methods while remaining useful beyond baking. Trade-off: At more than thirteen pounds it is demanding to move when hot, and the enamel needs gentler utensils and hand washing.
Another workable path: Bake on a preheated heavy sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl, keeping face and hands clear when removing the hot cover.
Sources
Lodge six-quart Essential Enamel specifications
Amazon exact product listing

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 6 servings

3 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 tablespoons raw white rice
3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut in 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup coconut vinegar or apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons grated ginger
6 garlic cloves, minced
16 curry leaves
1 six-inch pandan leaf, knotted, optional but characteristic
1 lemongrass stalk, bruised
1 small Ceylon cinnamon stick
4 green cardamom pods, cracked
4 cloves
4 pieces dried goraka, soaked, or 1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate
2 cups water, plus more as needed
2 teaspoons jaggery or brown sugar
6 cups steamed rice

Instructions

Toast coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, and pepper separately as needed until very dark brown and smoky-fragrant, never blackened. Toast coconut and rice to deep brown. Cool and grind everything to a fine dark powder.
Coat pork with vinegar, salt, turmeric, and half the roasted powder and refrigerate 30 minutes. Heat coconut oil and cook onion, ginger, garlic, curry leaves, pandan, lemongrass, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves until aromatic.
Add pork with all marinade and brown thoroughly. Fry remaining roasted powder 2 minutes, then add goraka, water, and jaggery and bring to a boil.
Cover partially and 90 to 120 minutes until pork is fork-tender and well beyond 145°F, adding small splashes of water only to prevent scorching.
Uncover and reduce until the curry is nearly black, glossy, and clings tightly to the pork. Remove pandan, lemongrass, cinnamon, and goraka pieces; balance pepper, sourness, salt, and faint sweetness and serve with rice.

Sri LankaSri Lankan household cooking

From the table

About this recipe

Sri Lankan kalu uru mas gets its near-black color from deeply roasted spices, coconut, and rice—not burning—with black pepper and goraka balancing fatty pork.

Sri Lankan kalu uru mas gets its black color from deeply roasted curry powder and, in some family versions, roasted coconut and rice—not burnt spices. Black pepper supplies a defining slow heat, while goraka or vinegar cuts fatty pork. This is a concentrated dry curry distinct from the preceding coconut-rich chicken gravy. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Use the small perfect Sri Lankan rating signal directionally, preserve cookbook and local-source agreement on deep roasting, pepper, fat, and souring, and make the difference between dark roasting and burning observable.

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