Colm O'Gorman: How to make a perfect pork and sweet potato coconut curry

I often use good quality pork sausages as the main ingredient in a recipe. They are very good value and given the range of flavours that are available these days, a brilliant base upon which to build a dish. They are great to use instead of ground meat in pasta for example, or as I have here, as the protein in a lovely Southeast Asian-inspired curry.

For this dish, I used some spring onion and black pepper-flavoured sausages from Aldi. You could use just plain pork sausages if you wish, just make sure they are decent quality and have a high meat content, around 80% pork is ideal. Add a teaspoon of ground black pepper to the dish at the same time as you add the turmeric powder in the recipe below if you do use plain sausages, and a few chopped spring onions when adding the green beans and baby corn.

Skin the sausages and shape the sausage meat into bite-sized pieces before you cook them. I divide each sausage into four or five equal-sized pieces, you can have them as patty-shaped pieces or roll them into little meatballs if the mood takes you, either will work well.

Serve this curry with some plain boiled rice and finish it with some more fresh red chilli and coriander. If you can get hold of some crispy fired shallots, they will add some lovely texture to the final dish. Most supermarkets stock those these days and buying them pre-made is a lot less fuss than frying them yourself. I always have a jar in my cupboards to finish off dishes like this.

This recipe would work also very well with chicken, or white fish such as cod or prawns. You could substitute any of those proteins for the sausage and you will have a delicious meal. If you are using cod or prawns, just add those for the final few minutes of cooking time to avoid overcooking them.

Pork and sweet potato coconut curry

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

Add a little more chicken stock and coconut milk and you will have a soupier dish, a little like a Laska which would be beautiful served over a big bowl of plain noodles.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 14 mins

Total Time

 34 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 450g good quality pork sausages

• 1 onion

• 45g fresh ginger

• 4 cloves garlic

• 2 red chillies

• 2 kaffir lime leaves (optional)

• 1 tsp turmeric powder

• 500g sweet potato

• 1 tin full fat coconut milk

• 1 tbsp fish sauce

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tbsp coconut or brown sugar

• 1 tbsp smooth peanut butter

• 300ml chicken stock

• 200g fine green beans

• 200g baby corn

• Juice of a lime

• Handful fresh coriander

Method

1. Skin the sausages and divide each into four to five bite sized pieces. Dip your hands into a bowl of clean water and then roll each piece into a mini meatball or shape them into small patties.

2. Heat a large nonstick frying pan over a high heat and add a tablespoon of coconut oil. Reduce the heat to medium when the oil starts to shimmer and add the sausage meatballs. Cook for a few minutes, turning them frequently, until they are browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.

3. Peel the sweet potato and cut it into two-to-three-centimetre sized chunks. Peel and grate the ginger. Peel and thinly slice the onion, and peel and finely chop and the garlic. Wash and finely chop the red chillies, removing the seeds and pith if you want a milder curry, but leaving them in if you like more heat. Add another tablespoon of coconut oil to the same pan that you used to brown the sausage meat, and then add the onions. Cook over a medium heat for two to three minutes until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the ginger, the garlic and the kafir lime leaves if you are using them and stir fry for another minute. Next add the chopped chilli and stir that in.

4. Now add the sweet potato, the coconut milk, and the ground turmeric. The turmeric adds some nice depth of flavour but also a lovely vibrant colour to the curry, so do not skip it. Add the chicken stock, fish sauce, soy sauce, the coconut or brown sugar and peanut butter to the pan. Stir well to combine everything and bring to a soft boil. Add the browned sausage pieces and stir those in gently. Reduce the heat to bring the pan to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for ten minutes until the sweet potato is soft and cooked through.

5. Trim and wash the green beans and the baby corn. Cut them into three-centimetre-long pieces. Wash and chop a good handful of fresh coriander, leaves and stalks included.

6. Add the green beans, baby corn, chopped coriander leaves and stalks and the juice of half a lime to the pan. Replace the lid and cook for three more minutes. Taste to check for seasoning and add a little more lime juice or soy sauce if needed. Serve the curry in warm bowls over some plain boiled rice. Finish with some thinly sliced red chilli, a little more coriander, and some crispy fried shallots. Serve immediately.