Originating in Persia, pathia (pronounced patia) is a sweet and sour, medium heat curry that is easy to make and tastes delicious.
Pathia curries were adapted by Indian restaurants in the UK to compete with the Chinese sweet and sour dishes which had become very popular. It is rare to see pathia on an Indian menu outside of the UK.
This version is from The Curry Guy and like many curries, it is very versatile and can be made with chicken, beef, prawns or vegetables.
For the curry powder I tend to use Madras but any good Indian curry powder should work.
PORK PATHIA
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
900 g pork meat, cut into 3cm cubes
4 tablespoons ghee or butter
2 large onions, finely sliced
400 ml tin chopped tomatoes
5 cloves garlic – smashed and finely chopped
3 cm ginger – smashed and finely chopped
6 black cardamom pods or 10 green pods
1 cinnamon stick
5 cloves
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon prepared mint sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon desiccated coconut
250 ml chicken stock or water
2 tablespoons mango chutney
Garam masala
Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD:
Melt the ghee or butter in a large saucepan, over a medium heat. Add the cardamom, cinnamon and cloves and cook for about 30 seconds to release their aroma
Reduce the heat a little and add the sliced onions to the pan. Fry them slowly until they turn translucent and soft.
Add the tomatoes, garlic and ginger and let them sizzle for another 30 seconds.
Add the pork and mix well with the other ingredients and continue to cook until the meat is about 80% cooked through.
Add the rest of the ingredients except for the garam masala, salt and pepper and the mango chutney. Let the curry cook over medium heat for about 30-40 minutes until the meat falls apart.
Just before serving, stir in the mango chutney and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and some garam masala.
Have you tried this recipe? I would love to hear your comments, good or bad.
