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Kappa

Garo pork cooked with kalchi — alkaline water from burnt plant ash — and plenty of chilli, which turns the gravy soft, smooth and fiery.

Ingredients

• 500 g pork with fat, cut in pieces
• ½ cup kalchi (filtered alkaline ash water) or 0.25 tsp baking soda in 0.5 cup water
• 6 green or dried red chillies, crushed
• 1 tbsp ginger, crushed
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 onion, sliced (optional)
• 2 tbsp rice flour mixed in 0.25 cup water
• salt to taste

Method

1. Put the pork in a pot with 2 cups water, salt, ginger and garlic. No oil is used.
2. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 25 minutes until the pork is almost tender.
3. Add the crushed chillies and onion and cook 5 minutes.
4. Pour in the kalchi and stir; it will foam slightly. Simmer 10 minutes.
5. Stir in the rice flour paste and cook 5 minutes, stirring, until the gravy thickens.
6. Check salt and serve hot with rice.

Tip: Kalchi is made by straining water through ash of dried banana or plantain peels. If using baking soda, add just a pinch more at a time — too much tastes soapy.