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Gahori aru Bahgaj

Fatty pork cooked with tender fresh bamboo shoot, ginger, garlic and fiery chilli. Earthy, juicy and a monsoon favourite when new shoots come to the market.

Ingredients

• 750 g pork with fat (belly or shoulder), cut into 1.5 inch cubes
• 300 g fresh bamboo shoot (bahgaj), outer sheaths removed, thinly sliced
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 1½ tbsp ginger, crushed
• 1½ tbsp garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 6 green chillies, slit, or 1 bhut jolokia
• 1 tbsp mustard oil
• salt to taste

Method

1. Boil the sliced bamboo shoot in plenty of salted water for 15 minutes, drain and rinse once to remove the bitterness.
2. Wash the pork and put it in a dry heavy kadai with the mustard oil and a pinch of salt. Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes until the fat renders and the pork turns light brown.
3. Add the onions and fry in the pork fat for 5 minutes until soft.
4. Add ginger, garlic, turmeric and cumin powder and fry for 3 minutes until fragrant.
5. Add the boiled bamboo shoot and chillies, mix well and cook for 5 minutes so the shoot soaks up the fat.
6. Pour in 1.5 cups of water, cover and cook on low for 30 to 35 minutes until the pork is tender (or 3 whistles in a pressure cooker).
7. Uncover and cook for 5 minutes more until the gravy is thick and clings to the meat. Adjust salt and serve with hot rice.

Tip: Always boil fresh bamboo shoot before cooking; raw shoot is bitter and not good to eat. Young, white shoots from the monsoon are the tenderest.