BABI ASSAM

Serves 6–8

This is a very mild curry with tantalising flavours. My dad used to prepare it with pork trotters so the curry would be very lemak (rich) when the pork fat is rendered and infused with the other ingredients in the curry. In this recipe, I use pork leg instead of trotters.

Cooking oil 4 Tbsp
Large onion 1, peeled and sliced

Lemon grass 1 stalk, ends trimmed,
outer leaves removed and bruised

Pork leg 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz), cut into 3-cm
(1¼-in) cubes

Potatoes 3, peeled and quartered
Water 50 ml (1⅔ fl oz)
Salt ¼ Tbsp

Tamarind pulp 2 Tbsp, mixed with 2 Tbsp
water and strained

Ground Paste

Large onions 6, peeled and sliced

Lemon grass 2 stalks, ends trimmed,
outer leaves removed and sliced

Turmeric 10-cm (4-in) knob, peeled

Dried prawn (shrimp) paste (belacan)
100 g (3½ oz)

Dried chillies 50 g (1⅔ oz), cut into
short lengths, soaked for 10 minutes,
seeds removed

1.   Pound or grind together ingredients for ground paste until fine. Set aside.

2.   Heat oil in a pot and fry onion and lemon grass until onion is soft.

3.   Add ground paste and fry until oil rises.

4.   Add pork and potatoes and fry for about 3 minutes.

5.   Add water and salt to taste and boil until potatoes are soft and the curry thickens.
Stir in tamarind liquid. Remove from heat.

6.   Dish out and serve hot.

NOTE

•  To prepare this dish using pork trotters, proceed as above, but let the ingredients simmer
until the pork is tender. Cut the potatoes in halves instead of quarters so they do not
become mushy while the pork cooks.

96

EURASIAN HERITAGE

Cooking