This being the month of Christmas, a holiday celebrated among 160 of the 195 countries that make up this planet, I’ve decided to do a monthly installment of how various countries around the world celebrate this special holiday in their kitchens and feature their signature holiday meals. Some may be sides, some may be mains, maybe a dessert or two, some may be a festive drink, or even a complete dinner. Only time will tell by which country my girls have randomly pulled out of Santa’s hat. Click here to see all of my “Christmas In…” series from years’ past.
One of the great things about learning new meals from across the globe is that I also get to learn about countries within countries, or self-autonomous regions. Everyone knows that Vatican City and San Marino are independent of Italy, as well asr Andorra (landlocked between Spain and France). But there are also more autonomous regions in those three countries, as well as China. Think Taiwan, and now Macau! I always thought Macau was its own country, but it is more like Taiwan than, say, Andorra. Today’s meal celebrates an ingredient that is well known across SE Asian countries, balichão, a very odorous shrimp paste. But the pungent vapors from this paste is all balanced out with salty pork, brown sugar, and tamarind paste. The result, as my children said, was extremely delicious…just don’t smell it before you eat it!
Pork Balichão
adapted from Great British Chefs, Nuno Mendes
Pork marinade
2 lbs pork shoulder, cubed
3 dried bay leaves, crushed or minced
1 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
½ tsp white pepper
Cooking ingredients
3 tbsp tamarind paste
~4 cups chicken stock
3 tbsp shrimp paste (wait to open the container until you need to add it in!)
~4 inch piece of ginger, divided
3 tbsp dark brown sugar
6 tbsp rapeseed oil, divided
Garnish
2 scallions, white part only, sliced thin
Remaining half of ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 red chiles, thinly sliced
Thai basil
Lime, sliced into wedges
Place the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours, mixing every so often.
Once ready to cook, stir together ⅔ cup of the stock with the tamarind paste and reserve.
Peel half of the ginger and mince finely and reserve.
Preheat a deep, 12” skillet with 3 tbsp of oil, set over medium-high heat. Add in the pork and cook until browned all over, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer the pot contents to a bowl.
Add in the remaining oil, and reduce the heat to low. Add in the shrimp paste and ginger and cook for a few minutes, stirring the entire time.
Once the paste has cooked, and a film has adhered to the bottom of the skillet, add the pork (and any juices) back to the skillet, along with the tamarind/stock mixture and brown sugar. Scrape up all the browned bits from the skillet and add in the remaining stock until it just covers the meat.
Bring the stock to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and continue to cook for about 30-40 minutes until the sauce reduces.
While the pork braises, heat some vegetable oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Using long handled tongs, drag basil leaves, one-by-one through the hot oil. Place them on some paper towels to drain.
Once the pork is ready, place in a large bowl or platter, garnish and bring to the table along with some cooked, short grain rice.
______________________________ Copyright 2023, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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