Pig cheek vindaloo

Serves 3-4

• 4 tablespoons oil
• 5 dried red Kashmiri chillies (or 2 red dried chillies+ 1 tablespoon paprika)
• 10 cloves
• 1 star anise
• 20 black peppercorns
• 10cm cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 large onions, finely sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 4cm ginger, grated
• 200g crushed tinned tomatoes
• 3/4 teaspoons turmeric
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 kg pig cheek, cut into 4cm x 3cm pieces

Recipe note: A heavy-bottomed casserole pot is ideal for this dish (like a Le Creuset) and you’ll need some sort of grinder, even if it’s your bare hands and a pestle and mortar. 

Put 1 tablespoon of oil into the pot and heat over a medium heat. When hot add the chillies, pepper, star anise, cinnamon and cumin into a pan and stir-fry until the peppercorns swell and you can smell all the spices.
Tip the spices out into a spice grinder (coffee grinder or pestle and mortar) and grind together with 4 tablespoons of vinegar and put to one side.
In the same pot, add 2 tablespoons of oil, when hot, throw in the onions. Cook the onions for 15 minutes on a medium heat until they are soft, browning and caramelized then turn down the heat a little and add the sliced garlic.

Stir the garlic and  grated ginger through , stir again then add the tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes then add the spice and vinegar paste, sugar, salt and turmeric.  Stir and add the pig cheek.

Coat the meat with the spice paste then just cover with hot (not boiling) water. Stir and bring to a rolling boil then put the lid on and turn the heat down. Leave to cook for 2 ½ to 3 hours, stirring occasionally and topping up with hot water if need be. The longer you cook it, the more the meat will fall apart (eventually, you would end up with a ragu). When the meat is straining to hold it’s shape is about right for this recipe. Taste, adjust the salt, sugar and spice as you like and serve with steamy rice or soft fluffy naan bread.