Where black pork curry is home
Apologies are not in order when it comes to Sri Lankan black pork curry. It all at once envelopes heat, tang and a culinary chorus of gritty flavours. The dark-roasted Sri Lankan spice powder (badapu thuna paha), Ceylon cinnamon bark, crushed black peppercorn, aromatic pandan leaf, dark-roasted coconut, and tarty dried garcinia (goraka) melt together to form a backdrop of bold flavours in a beautiful almost black-hued gravy. The pork, after being cooked over a low flame for some time, is rendered soft and succulent. This hearty dish hits the spot and is best enjoyed with a few.Since moving to Sri Lanka, I have been on the lookout for it and should a black pork curry cross my path, either at a buffet, side café or on a menu, I surely make its acquaintance. Each time, however, the dish contends with the recipe of my youth– my mother’s remarkable black pork curry stewed to perfection after hours of slow cooking.
Recently, I visited Cyril Rodrigo’s Green Cabin in Colombo after learning about its impressive 140+ year-old history that dates back to 1884. Its story begins as a Ceylon Tea Kiosk (later renamed as the Pagoda Tea Rooms) established in the jetty of the Colombo Harbour. A group of British planters were the founding fathers; however, the Rodrigo family later took ownership of it and ushered its steady growth, relocation and evolution through WW1 and the Great Depression, and its transformation from tea room to restaurant and catering business. Today, it is one of Sri Lanka’s few generational family-owned restaurants — five generations in fact.
I tried my luck with their black pork curry, and it was serendipity at first sight. Unlike many black pork curries I have seen, this one glistens with the ground black pepper and dark roasted coconut. The colour of the gravy is dark, but not overly, and it holds a bit of the oil of the pork that surfaces after slow cooking. A toothsome bite brings together the earthy and tangy flavours that are reminiscent of a village style curry that would otherwise be made over a hearth.
The flavours bring me back to my mother’s version and ring true to the recipe I remember growing up in Canada where I used to enjoy it best on cold rainy days. This time, I paired it simply with the menu’s kade roast paan (traditional wood fired bread), served with a creamy whippy butter and pol sambol (finely shredded and spiced coconut). I cleansed it down with their tinkiri kopi (black coffee with condensed milk), which made for a perfect afternoon lunch.
The restaurant, with two slender green doors, holds old world charm and is welcoming with collections of black and white photographs hanging on its walls as a reminder of yesteryear. One breezy side of the restaurant is kept natural and uncovered so that meals may be enjoyed on beautiful ceramic tiled tables that bathe in a wash of sunlight. There is a homely feeling, and a sense that the customers are regulars—and even with its noteworthy past, this restaurant feels like a hidden gem. I won’t tell. I’ll have to keep this black pork curry a secret.
Ruwanmali Samarakoon is the author of Milk, Spice and Curry Leaves; Hill Country Recipes from the Heart of Sri Lanka. Her cookbook and recipes have been featured in Epicurious, Food and Wine, and Chatelaine magazines in the US and Canada. She now lives in Colombo with her husband and two children. Follow her Instagram.
Searching for an ideal partner? Find your soul mate on Hitad.lk, Sri Lanka's favourite marriage proposals page. With Hitad.lk matrimonial advertisements you have access to thousands of ads from potential suitors who are looking for someone just like you.