Kerala Style Pork Fry / Nadan Panniyearchi Ularthiyathu

For special occasions like Easter or Christmas, meat is an inevitable dish in Kerala Christian homes, especially Erachi Ularthiyathu / Meat stir fried! I was surprised that I had not posted a Kerala meat fry recipe even after 5+ years of blogging!! It is because whenever I make meat, it does not last long enough to take pictures and also for such common recipes I have wondered about the need to post as almost everybody knows how to make it :).... But now a days I have been getting many requests for such recipes and hence I will make it a point to post those common Kerala recipes.....If you have any such requests do let me know :).... 

Pork is an absolute favorite of mine… I know a lot of you may be thinking while reading this as to how I could possibly think of eating Pork during Lent ;)....  Sorry guys I made this dish quite some time back and somehow delayed posting it.... Whenever I get hold of Pork, I tend to make Pork Veengali and this time for a change I made it like Kerala Beef fry..... Every home has their own way of making erachi ularthiyathu and this is how we make it at home.... If you are a Pork lover do try this and enjoy it with rice, appam, chapathi, bread or as a short eat with your favorite brand of rum/brandy/whiskey/toddy like a true Achayan (malayali Christian guy) way :D :D

Nadan Panniyearchi Ularthiyathu / Kerala Style Pork Fry

Ingredients:

Pork – 1 kg, cut in to cubes and cleaned

Coconut slices / Thengakothu – ½ cup

Onion-2 big, sliced

Pearl onions / Chumannulli – ½ cup sliced

Ginger, minced – 1 ½ tbsp

Garlic minced – 1 ½ tbsp

Green chillies -3 or 4 sliced

Homemade Erachipodi / Meatmasala -3 to 4 tbsp (OR you can add 1 ½ tbsp chilly powder, 1 ½ tbsp Coriander powder, ½ tsp- Turmeric powder, 2 tsp- Pepper powder, 6 cardamoms, 6 cloves, 3 x 1” piece cinnamon sticks all powdered together)

Curry leaves – few

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Oil- 2 to 3 tbsp

Salt to taste 

Method:

• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker and splutter mustard seeds.
• Add coconut pieces / thengakothu and stir fry until coconut pieces are light brown.
• Add sliced onion, pearl onion, ginger, garlic and curry leaves; stir fry until onions become golden brown,
• Reduce flame and add erachi podi / meat masala and sauté making sure not to burn the powder.
• Add cleaned pork pieces and continue stirring until masala coat pork pieces. Add ¼ cup of hot water and pressure cook the pork for 3-4 whistles on low flame or until the meat is cooked well.
• Once the steam vents out open the lid and check if the pork is cooked well.
• Now on medium heat, cook the meat pieces until the oozed out water is completely dry, stirring in between. Turn off the flame.
• At this point you can cool the pork and store it in the fridge and stir fry it when required. You can store this up to 1 week.
• For stir frying, heat remaining oil in a non-stick pan add cooked pork pieces and stir fry well until pork is browned. If needed drizzle oil while stir frying.

Notes:

• Some like really dry fried meat, so stir fry according to personal taste. We personally don’t like the meat too dry.
• Since we prefer moist meat I sometimes add one sliced onion in the oil, stir fry for a minute and add a small tomato and then add meat and stir fry. This moist pork fry goes very well with chapathi, palappam, vellayappam and dry version goes well with rice and bread.