Goan Pork Sorpotel Recipe - Indian Pork Curry - How to make sorpotel (2024)

Goan Pork Sorpotel Recipe - Indian Pork Curry - How to make sorpotel (1)Helene Dsouza

Goan pork sorpotel curry is spicy, flavorful and oh so good!

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

25 servings

4.7 from 66 votes

RECIPE

Goan Pork Sorpotel Recipe - Indian Pork Curry - How to make sorpotel (2)

Goan Pork Sorpotel is an essential Indian pork Curry from the former Portuguese colony and the west Indian state of Goa.

Sorpotel is a spicy favorite during Christmastime, but recently, it has often while appeared at weddings and other festivities in Goa.

Goan Pork Sorpotel Recipe - Indian Pork Curry - How to make sorpotel (3)

Goan Pork Sorpotel Recipe - Indian Pork Curry - How to make sorpotel (4)

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During Christmastime, it is a tradition in each Goan house to cook the delicious Pork Sorpotel curry.

I have been an avid fan of Pork Sorpotel since I have been introduced to the Goan dish a couple of years back.

Already, while it is cooking on the fire, I get tempted to dip my spoon into the dark red meat curry.

The flavors are just incredible, spicy hot but with lots of depths from the pork meat and some special ingredients, that give the recipe a nice touch.

Sorpotel is a special Indian pork dish, that one needs to have experienced in life!

The Sorpotel gravy is cooked and served in Catholic houses in Goa.

The preparation is often made 3-4 days before Christmas.

Some of the ingredients in the pork sorpotel will defer from Taluka to Taluka (district), resulting in slight different Sorpotel recipe variations all over Goa.

I have tasted many different pork Sorpotel curries in North Goa, and I can tell you that non-tastes like the other.

I think my mother in laws sorpotel recipe is the best, in so many levels!

The Sorpotel was introduced by the Portuguese, who colonized Goa for 500 Years.

I have no idea what the original dish must have looked like but I can only guess that it was much less spicy hot.

Or it can be as well that the Portuguese understood, that the humidity was a problem here while conserving meats so they might have taken apart in the spicy masala paste evolution in the warm Indian coastline state.

Apparently, Sorpotel is cooked and enjoyed in Brazil too, however in South America, it's known as Sarapatel.

Goan Pork Sorpotel Recipe - Indian Pork Curry - How to make sorpotel (5)

This particular pork sorpotel recipe has been adapted to our contemporary time.

Traditional pork sorpotel includes innards such as liver, gyzard as well as pork blood and my recipe doesn't include these ingredients, because they are at times hard to be found in a normal supermarket in the western world.

Also, our family in Goa tends to prefer the pork sorpotel without the organs because this particular recipe is already in that extend flavorful.

Most Goan Catholic houses, at the coast in north goa, prepare pork sorpotel without innards and blood these days. It's convenient and the taste doesn't really get compromised.

The recipe is pretty easy, but keep in mind that you should plan in a couple of days. It is said that a Sorpotel pot tastes always better after 3 days at least.

The first day you prepare the main cooking of the pork, together with all the ingredients and on the 2nd, 3rd and even 4th day, you ll just heat up the whole pot for 20 minutes each time.

This technique will give you intense, irresistible and gorgeous flavors to your pork sorpotel curry.

Flavors which you have never even dreamed of before will be dancing on your tongue!

For the best result, follow this Sorpotel recipe, step by step.

Try to get some Feni for the extra taste dimension.

If you don't get feni, substitute with plum schnapps or vodka.

👁️ More festive main course meals

  • Boneless Pork Loin Roast
  • Easy Chicken Roast
Goan Pork Sorpotel Recipe - Indian Pork Curry - How to make sorpotel (6)

Goan Pork Sorpotel Recipe - Indian Pork Curry - How to make sorpotel (7)

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📖 Recipe

Goan Pork Sorpotel Recipe - Indian Pork Curry - How to make sorpotel (8)

Goan Pork Sorpotel Curry Recipe

Goan pork sorpotel curry is spicy, flavorful and oh so good!

4.73 from 66 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Goan

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 25 servings

Calories: 181kcal

Recipe by: Helene Dsouza

Ingredients

  • 2.2 Pounds Boneless Pork Meat with some fat on it
  • ½ Onion sliced
  • 2 Green Chili Pepper slit into half
  • 2 Cups Water

For the Curry Paste

and also...

  • 6 Piece Green Chili Pepper chopped fine
  • 4 Medium Onion chopped fine
  • Salt pinch
  • 2 Tablespoon Feni optional, *see Notes

US - Metric

Instructions

  • Grab a big pot and place your previously rinsed Pork meat into it, together with the sliced Onion, slit open Green Chilies and 2 Cups of Water. Keep it on medium heat and cover the pot to parboil the pork meat for about 20-30 minutes or until it is tender.

    Goan Pork Sorpotel Recipe - Indian Pork Curry - How to make sorpotel (9)

  • In the meanwhile prepare the Masala paste. Combine the Kashmiri Chili, fresh Ginger root, Garlic cloves, Black Pepper, Cumin Seeds, Cloves, Cinnamon stick, Vinegar, Oil, and some Water if necessary in a blender to a smooth paste. Keep aside.

    Goan Pork Sorpotel Recipe - Indian Pork Curry - How to make sorpotel (10)

  • Once the meat is tender, take it out and dice it fine as shown (even the fats, they will give flavor and melt anyway).

    Goan Pork Sorpotel Recipe - Indian Pork Curry - How to make sorpotel (11)

  • Keep the meaty water stock aside, we will need it later on!

    Goan Pork Sorpotel Recipe - Indian Pork Curry - How to make sorpotel (12)

  • Heat up a pan and fry your diced Pork pieces batch by batch until they get some color.

    Goan Pork Sorpotel Recipe - Indian Pork Curry - How to make sorpotel (13)

  • In the same time heat up a big pot and fry your chopped green Chilies and Onions until they turn golden brown.

    Goan Pork Sorpotel Recipe - Indian Pork Curry - How to make sorpotel (14)

  • Add all the cooked pork meat to the fried Chilies and Onions and stir fry for 2 minutes. Then continue to add in the curry paste and salt together with the meat stock and the Feni.

    Goan Pork Sorpotel Recipe - Indian Pork Curry - How to make sorpotel (15)

  • Mix it all well and bring it to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer the sorpotel. Stir frequently and cook it until it thickens, then keep aside.

    Goan Pork Sorpotel Recipe - Indian Pork Curry - How to make sorpotel (16)

  • For a special flavor twist, cook it the following day for another 20 minutes and again for 1-2 days more.

  • Best served with flavored butter rice or Pulao rice or lemon rice. You can also serve the sorpotel with puris, flatbread and regular bread rolls.

Notes

  1. Feni is Goan alcohol made of cashew fruits or coconut. You can add that if you have feni or add another neutral-tasting alcohol like vodka or schnapps.
  2. Serve the spicy sorpotel with rice, pulao, puris, chapati or simply bread rolls.
  3. Sorpotel is served in small quantities with other meals in a buffet-style setting.
  4. The recipe is for a large quantity because it doesn't make sense to take the trouble for a small quantity. Hence why this curry is meant to be enjoyed the following days.
  5. The pork curry tastes even better when frozen in batches and reheated again.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Goan Pork Sorpotel Curry Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 181Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Fat 13g20%

Saturated Fat 4g20%

Cholesterol 29mg10%

Sodium 76mg3%

Potassium 274mg8%

Carbohydrates 7g2%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 8g16%

Vitamin A 345IU7%

Vitamin C 56mg68%

Calcium 23mg2%

Iron 0.9mg5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Goan Pork Sorpotel Recipe - Indian Pork Curry - How to make sorpotel (2024)

FAQs

What is Sorpotel made of? ›

There's one dish that cannot be missed for Christmas, however: the spicy and tangy, meat-laden Sorpotel. Sorpotel is usually made with a variety of pork meat and offal. But in this Sorpotel recipe, we're offering a mutton-based alternative to the dish, made with boneless pieces of lamb and mutton liver.

Is Sorpotel a Portuguese dish? ›

Sarapatel (Portuguese pronunciation: [sɐɾɐpɐˈtɛl], Brazilian Portuguese: [sɐɾɐpɐˈtɛw]), or Sorpotel, is a dish of Portuguese origin now commonly cooked in the Konkan—primarily Goa, Mangalore, and Bombay—the erstwhile Estado da Índia Portuguesa colony. It is also prepared in northeastern Brazil.

What is the history of pork Sorpotel? ›

“African slaves in the Bahian province of Brazil, who were given the offal and less delicate cuts of pork, transformed the dish into 'sarapatel', by adding onions, tomatoes, and chilli peppers,” writes Lewis in an essay in the book Reflected in Water: Writings on Goa.

What is the Goan dish sorpotel primarily made of? ›

One of Goa's beloved dishes is called Sorpotel, which is made from pork.

Why is it called sorpotel? ›

The Goan Pork Sorpotel has its origins in Sarapatel, a dish from Alentejo, Portugal. The word 'sarapatel' literally means confusion, referring to the mish-mash of ingredients of pork heart, liver and even pork blood!

What is a sorpotel in English? ›

A dish of meat cooked in a stewpot; a stew.

What is the meaning of sorpotel? ›

Sorpotel is a red meat curry that is wonderfully tangy and spicy at the same time. It is a dish of Portuguese origin, now cooked in the Konkan region of India - Goa, Mangalore and Maharasthra's East India Community. Goan Sorpotel is generally made using pork, but sometimes it also includes beef, mutton or chicken.

How do you thicken sorpotel? ›

If it is too dry add a little water. After the spices have cooked for about 5 minutes, add 1/2 cup of water, mix well and let the curry thicken. Add another 1/2 cup or more water to form the curry.

What country is pork native to? ›

The pig dates back 40 million years to fossils, which indicates that wild pig-like animals roamed forests and swamps in Europe and Asia. By 4900 B.C., pigs were domesticated in China, and by 1500 B.C., they were being raised in Europe.

What are Goan sausages made of? ›

The Goa sausage is prepared starting with large chunks of boneless pork that are sliced or chopped and heavily salted. The chopped meat is allowed to dry in the sun for one to two days. Following this, a mixture of spices, ground hot chilli peppers, palm vinegar, and Feni, a local liquor, is added.

Does sorpotel have blood? ›

Traditionally, sorpotel is made with a mixture of meat, offal and blood, but these days the blood is often omitted.

Where did sorpotel originate? ›

A dish of Portuguese origin adopted in some former Portuguese colonies (esp. in northeastern Brazil, in Goa, and on the island of Zanzibar), consisting of different kinds of meat, offal, and often blood, cooked together in a stew with vinegar and spices.

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