Paul Mercurio's pork and pumpkin red curry recipe

A slow-cooked Thai red pork curry with a rich pumpkin sauce. Mop it all up with a serving of white rice. This recipe takes 2hrs and 30 mins to cook and is well worth the wait. This recipe serves 4 people and is a great way to add a new flavour to your cut of pork. Serve with feiry curry with rice, naan bread or stir-fried vegetables.

Recipe and photo from Cooking With Beer by Paul Mercurio, published by Murdoch Books.

Ingredients

• 3tbsp peanut oil
• 1 red onion, halved and sliced
• 1/2 red pepper, cut into thin strips
• 3tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 700g pork neck, cut into 4-5 cm cubes
• 1tbsp tamarind pulp, soaked in 60ml boiling water
• 270ml coconut cream
• 330ml bottle of Duvel (a Belgian ale)
• 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 500g pumpkin, peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 8 pieces each
• 8 baby squash, cut in half
• 2 courgettes, cut into rounds
• 1 handful fresh coriander, chopped sliced red chilli, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
2. Heat the oil in a large flame-proof casserole dish over medium-high heat. Sweat the onion and pepper until just starting to colour. Stir in the curry paste and cook for several mins, until fragrant and well combined.
3. Add the pork and mix well to coat with the sauce, then cook over a high heat for a few mins, stirring all the time. Stir in the strained tamarind liquor, then add the coconut cream and beer, giving it all a good stir to combine. Bring up to a boil before adding the lime leaves, pumpkin and potato. Stir all the vegetables through and again let the mixture come up to a boil.
4. Turn off the heat, put a lid on the dish and transfer it to the preheated oven. Bake for 1 1⁄2 hrs, giving the curry a stir once or twice.
5. Add the squash and courgette and bake for a further 45 mins, depending on how you like your veggies done.
6. During cooking the pumpkin will break down completely, mixing with all the cooking juices to make a rich pumpkin sauce.
7. Stir some of the coriander through. Serve the curry in big bowls on a bed of rice, garnished with the remaining coriander, and chilli slices if desired.