This recipe is perfect to be made 10 days before Christmas day.

Ingredients:
1.5 kg pork (I’ve used boneless pork shoulder with fat)
500 gms liver, kidney & heart (I’ve used beef since pork wasn’t available)
100 gms pork or beef blood (Optional)
12-15 Kashmiri chillies
12-15 Bedgi chillies
1 tbsp black peppercorns (approx 20)
1 tsp cloves (approx 18)
1 tsp cumin seeds
3″ cinnamon (2 sticks)
20 garlic pods
1 tsp turmeric
1.5 inch ginger
1 cup finely chopped onion
8 tbsp goan vinegar or red wine vinegar
Salt as per taste
To garnish
6 green chillies (or as per preference)
3-4 garlics chopped
1/2″ ginger chopped
1/4 cup goan vinegar or red wine vinegar

Method:

• Heat water in a large pot on medium flame with some water & add the pork along with the innards (liver, kidney, heart) till done. Cool & save the stock for later once cooked. If using blood melt it in a separate pot till it dissolves.
• Meanwhile blend kashmiri chillies, bedgi chillies, black peppercorns, cumin seeds, cinnamon, cloves, garlic pods, ginger & turmeric to a fine paste with just a enough water. Make sure the paste isn’t too watery.

• Remove the paste in a bowl & add 8 tablespoons of vinegar. Cover & let it rest for sometime.

• To prepare the sorpotel meat start by making sure the boiled meat is first cooled down. Then separate the pork fat from the meat, then chop them into small pieces. Cut the liver, heart & kidney the same way. Cutting the meat is the most time consuming part of the recipe so I would recommend you sit down while you do this.

• Take a wide pan or wok & add the chopped pork fat on medium to low heat (never on high as you will burn the pork & the pan). The pork will slowly begin to leave its fat in the pan (save this to use later to fry the masala). Once the chopped pork fat turns golden & crisp remove them & keep aside.
• In the same pork fat that you have collected fry the chopped pork meat pieces & innards (liver, kidney & heart) till golden. Remove & keep aside.
• To make the sorpotel: take a large pot, on medium flame, heat the pork fat that you saved earlier. (Use enough pork fat to fry the chopped onions, if less you can add some oil).
• Fry the onions till soft & then add the ground sorpotel masala paste with some salt. Saute for 2-3 mins & add all the meat pieces you fried before. Mix this well together making sure all the meat is coated with the masala paste.
• Add the pork/beef blood & 1/2 cup of the stock you saved earlier. Cover & let this cook for 20-30 mins on low flame.
• The next day or 24 hrs later, add the garnish of green chillies, vinegar, garlic & ginger. Cover & let it simmer for 20-30 mins on medium heat.
• On the 3rd day taste for salt, spice & sweetness. Adjust taste accordingly & cover & simmer for 20-30 mins on medium heat.
• On the 4th & 5th day do the same, & then cover & simmer for 20-30 mins on medium heat.
• The sorpotel should be ready to eat on the 6th day.

Tips:

• If you live in a cold place you can leave the pork outside but if you live in a warmer region you will need to put the pork it the fridge every day once it cools down to room temperature after making it hot.
• This recipe is perfect to be made 10 days before Christmas for the masala to be caught.
• At no point should you be increasing the heat to high in this recipe. Slow cooking is the way to go in this recipe.
• Don’t worry if you don’t see the right color within the first 2-3 days. It usually takes a few days for the innards to break down, so make sure you heat the pork everyday for the for first 5 days.
• Don’t rush to adjust taste within the first 2 days of making the sorpotel. It does take sometime for masala to catch on.