The name of this dish refers to one of my earlier recipes: Red Pork. That one is very good too, but this, which is far simpler, may be even better. The end result is very close to a classic Goan vindaloo—hot yes, but also tangy/sour and sweet. There’s not a whole lot to it: very few ingredients (none esoteric), very little prep and it all but cooks itself. And as a bonus, on account of the large amount of vinegar in it, it will get better each day it sits in your fridge. Is there a reason you should not make this? No, there is not.

Don’t complicate matters by using shoulder: it will be a pain to cube. Do what I do: use so-called country-style ribs and cut cubes from the strips. Look for packages with strips with good veins of fat. You want the fat as this verges on confit, cooking in its own juices and fat.  

Ingredients

• 2 lbs pork, cubed
• 1 large red onion, sliced
• 1-1.5 tblspns grated ginger root
• About as much grated fresh garlic
• 3 heaped tblspns hot chilli/chile powder
• 3 tblspns brown sugar
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• Salt
• Oil
• Fresh Thai chillies for garnish

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a pot taller than it is wide.
2. Add the sliced onions and saute till beginning to brown.
3. Add the grated ginger and garlic and saute for another minute on high heat.
4. Add the pork and the salt and saute for a few more minutes till the pork is beginning to brown.
5. Add the chilli powder, sugar and vinegar, mix in throughly, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and cook till done (60-90 minutes).
6. Garnish with the Thai chillies (slit or just snapped into two) and serve with rice.

Notes

1. As noted above, this will be better (and less lethal) as it ages, but it’s very good on the first day too.
2. I make it pretty hot (I use dried chiles de arbol); you can tone it down a bit. A mix of hot chilli powder and powdered dried ancho chiles might be very good.
3. Chinese black vinegar (available in most good Asian groceries) is best, but sherry vinegar (which I used on this occasion) is a good substitute. But you can’t go terribly wrong with any decent vinegar.