Sneha's Recipe: Sorpatel

No matter how this is spelt and pronounced by many Sorpotel or Sarpatel or Sarapatel, the dish that makes mouths water and leave you drooling anywhere it’s served. The Goan and East Indians claim theirs it the best, but, that's a debatable issue that will last for every more. Each one is brought up with the taste that their parents or grandparents made for them.

Today I am, sharing my mother's traditional East Indian version that is made at every feast or celebrations. This is a must dish for every function of ours. In weddings when this is prepared usually country liquor, wine or brandy is added. But I did not add any of these. Even the pork tongue is added to make this dish, here is it's difficult to get it, if you get hold of it do add, it taste good in this dish.

East Indian Sorpatel is like a pickle that stay's long in if refrigerate well. This is side dish that can be had with anything. So vinegar and oil are very important to preserve this dish for long storage. In East Indian weddings this is prepared and stored in large ceramic jars for a long time at room temperature in a cool pantry shelve. But now with weather changes this stored and heated daily or refrigerated.

Ingredients
1 Kg Pork- cut into big pieces
¼ Kg Liver= cut into big pieces - Optional
2 Full Big Pods Garlic – finely cut lengthwise
3 - 4 Inch Piece Ginger – cut into juliennes
8 green chillies – cut lengthwise
3 Tablespoons East Indian Bottle Masala - adjust spiciness
¼ Cup Vinegar or to taste

Method

Salt the pork and liver well and leave it aside for at least 20 to 30 minutes then wash it well in fresh water to remove any excess salt.

Boil pork & liver with a little salt till nearly done.

Cut the cooked pork and liver into small tiny pieces.

Slice the ginger, garlic and green chillies.

In a large pan first fry all the fat of the pork till browns and release all it's fat/lard.

Remove the pork fast once brown then in the same lard fry the meat and liver in batches till brown. Keep aside.

In a large pot/ vessel add the from the frying of the pork and fry the ginger, garlic and green chillies. When they start to soften add in the bottle masala and meat and fry well till the spice coats the meat. Now add in the vinegar and the stock from the cooked meat and let it cook on medium low flame till oil surfaces.

Taste for salt and vinegar adding accordingly for this should be a little sour or else this start to mold. Let it simmer till oil surfaces.
This is best eaten after a day or two as it taste better the next day and gets time for all the flavors to marry.