The Goan pork sorpotel is rumoured to have originated from the Alentejo place of Portugal and was carried with Portuguese colonists and settlers to the international locations of their conquests. The Portuguese set up their colonies in Goa and the Goans rapidly adopted this dish and christened it Sorpotel – Soro which means alcohol. The unique Goan pork sorpotel contains alcohol and is generally cooked with pork meat. However, there are many variants of sorpotel. The Goan pork sorpotel is historically made with offal being organs like liver, kidney and gizzards.
Ingredients required for sorpotel
1 kg boneless pork
1 pork liver, 1 heart, 1 tongue, 2 kidneys
3 cups water
12 dried red chillies/peppers
12 peppercorns
12 cloves garlic
1-inch piece ginger
1 tsp cumin seeds
8 cloves
2 one-inch pieces of cinnamon
1 cup vinegar
1 cup oil
1 peg coconut feni
Salt to taste
6 green chillies/peppers, chopped
4 medium onions, chopped fine
Method of perparing sorpotel:
Wash and pat dry the meats. Put in a deep pan with the water on medium heat. Cover with a lid and parboil the meats, (approx. 20 minutes). Remove from the fire, cool and dice the meats fine. Keep aside the water.
Put all the spices except the green chillies/peppers and onion, into the blender/grinder with the vinegar and grind to a fine paste. Heat the oil in a deep pan on medium heat and lightly fry all the diced meat, stir frying continuously till it is lightly browned.
To the fried meat add the ground spices in vinegar and stir fry for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste, coconut feni, any remaining vinegar, the stock of the boiled meat, chopped onions and green chillies. Lower the heat and let the sorpotel simmer for 45 minutes or more.
Take care to stir it occasionally. When the oil comes to the top and the sauce is thick, remove from the heat.
Remember the sorpotel tastes better on the 3rd or 4th day, after it has been warmed up once a day till the day it is served. It is customary to serve sorpotel with sannas for special occasions.
