Axone Pork
naga pork belly stewed to spoon-softness with fermented funk and raw chilli heat
Allergens in Axone Pork: fish.
Ingredients
Quantities for 4.
- 800g belly, skin on, cut into 3cm cubes Pork
- 30g, rinsed and dry-roasted Dried Fishaxone, the fermented soybean cake this dish is named for, has no equivalent in the catalogue; dried fish gives the same fermented savoury backbone, though the aroma is different. If you can find axone, use 2 tbsp instead
- 6, torn Dried Red Chillifor raja mircha, the Naga king chilli; two fresh bird's-eye chillies alongside gets you closer
- 3, slit Green Chilli
- 2 tbsp, julienned Ginger
- 8 cloves, crushed Garlic
- 1 large, sliced Onion
- 1, chopped Tomatonot traditional everywhere, but common in Kohima kitchensoptional
- 100g, rinsed and sliced Bamboo Shootfresh or brined; rinse brined shoot twiceoptional
- 4, chopped Spring Onionoptional
- to taste Salt
- 400ml Water
Cookware
stovetop, pressure cooker
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Use belly with a decent fat cap. Lean pork gives a thin, joyless version of this dish. The rendered fat is the cooking medium and there is no added oil.
- Rinse the dried fish twice in warm water, pat it dry, and dry-roast it 3 minutes before it goes in.
- Naga cooking uses no oil and almost no dry spice here. The flavour comes entirely from pork fat, ferment, ginger and chilli, so all four have to be good.
Method
- Put the pork cubes in a heavy dry pot over medium heat with 2 tbsp of the water and cook 10 minutes, turning, until the fat has rendered and the cubes are browning in their own fat.No oil goes into this pot at any stage. If it sticks in the first two minutes, add a spoon of water, not fat.
- Add the onion, garlic and half the ginger and fry 5 minutes in the rendered fat, until the onion has gone soft and translucent.
- Stir in the torn dried chillies and the roasted dried fish and fry 2 minutes, until the whole pot smells sharp and savoury.This is the moment the kitchen turns pungent. That smell mellowing into the pork over the next hour is the point of the dish.
- Add the tomato, if using, and cook 3 minutes until it breaks down.
- Pour in the rest of the water, add salt, cover and simmer very gently 45 minutes. Check at 30 minutes and add a splash if it looks dry.
- Add the bamboo shoot and the green chillies and simmer uncovered 10 minutes more.
- The pork is ready when a piece of skin gives completely under a spoon and the gravy has reduced to a thick, glossy few centimetres in the base.If it is still chewy, it needs time, not heat. Go another 15 minutes covered on low.
- Stir in the remaining ginger julienne and the spring onion, rest 5 minutes off the heat, and serve with plain sticky rice.
Safe temperatures: Whole cuts of mutton, beef and pork are done at 63°C / 145°F, rested 3 minutes. A long braise passes that well before the meat is tender. Fish is done at 63°C / 145°F, or when it turns opaque and flakes easily. Reheat leftovers to 74°C / 165°F. FoodSafety.gov
Storage
Keeps 3 days refrigerated and improves overnight as the ferment settles into the fat. Lift off the set fat cap, reheat gently on the stovetop, and add fresh ginger and spring onion at the end.
Nutrition Medium estimate
One serving of Axone Pork (408 g) is about 356 calories, or 88 calories per 100 g.
High protein: 50 g a serving, 56% of the calories
| Per serving408 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 356 kcal | 88 kcal |
| Protein | 49.7 g | 12 g |
| Carbohydrate | 10.8 g | 3 g |
| of which sugars | 3.9 g | 1 g |
| Fibre | 2.3 g | 1 g |
| Fat | 11.8 g | 3 g |
| of which saturated | 4.0 g | 1 g |
| of which unsaturated | 6.6 g | 2 g |
Ingredients given to taste count as zero, so the real figures run a little higher. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Healthy Indian recipes · Gluten-free Indian recipes · Dairy-free Indian recipes · Northeast Indian recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.