Burmese Pork Belly Curry

5 from 1 vote

How to make Burmese Pork Belly Curry. Our traditional Gaeng Hung Lay recipe is a spicy stew featuring long beans, pickled garlic & tamarind.

Prep Time30

Cook Time2

Total Time2 30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Burmese

Keyword: Pork Belly Curry

Servings:

Calories: 729kcal

Equipment

Wok
French knife
measuring cups
measuring spoons
Mortar and Pestle
Dutch Oven
Wooden spoon

Ingredients

Curry Paste

30 g Lemongrass thinly sliced
1 tsp Kosher Salt
14 g Galangal thinly sliced
7 g Dried Chilies soaked in hot water for 15 minutes
45 g Shallots thinly sliced
2 tsp Shrimp Paste

Pork Belly Curry

2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 lb Skinless Pork Belly cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
30 g Shallots sliced
1 1/2 tsp Indian Curry Powder
1/2 tsp Ground Turmeric
1 lb Boneless Pork Shoulder cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
3 tbsp Fish Sauce
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
40 g Brown Sugar or Palm Sugar
6 tbsp Tamarind Paste
2 cups Water
30 g Ginger peeled and cut into matchsticks
40 g Pickled or Fermented Garlic Cloves (30)
2 cups Long Beans trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths
1 cup Thai Basil
1 tsp Bird's Eye Chili seeds removed, finely chopped
1/4 cup Fried Shallots

Instructions

Combine the lemongrass in a mortar and pestle with salt and pound for 2 minutes until you've created a paste. Add the galangal and pound until smooth. Drain the chilies and add them to the paste with the shallots and shrimp paste. Pound each ingredient before moving on to the next. You should have around 1/2 cup of paste.
In a large pot or Dutch Oven over medium high heat cook the pork belly chunks. Let sear on all sides until browned and crispy. Discard rendered fat. Set cooked pork belly aside.
Heat the oil in the same pot over medium low heat until it shimmers. Add all of the paste, breaking it up with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally, until it's fragrant, 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the shallots and cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes, then add the curry powder and turmeric and stir frequently for a minute. Add the pork shoulder, stir to coat the pork, and cook for a few minutes.
Stir in the fish sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Increase the heat slightly to bring the liquid to a simmer, cook until the sugar dissolves, then add the tamarind along with 2 cups of water. Increase the heat to high, let the liquid come to a strong simmer, then immediately decrease the heat to low and cover, cooking for 45 minutes.
Remove the lid and stir in the ginger and cook at a steady simmer until the pork shoulder is very tender, approximately 45 more minutes.
Stir in the pickled garlic cloves and chili, cook for 10 minutes then stir in the long beans, Thai basil and pork belly, cook until they're tender and slightly crunchy, about 5 minutes. Let the curry cool to warm and season with brown sugar or fish sauce to taste.
Serve in a large bowl topped with fried shallots.

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