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Phagshapa
Pork with radish and chilli
Phagshapa (ཕག་ཤ་པ) — Sikkimese pork strips stewed with radish and dried chillies
High in the hills of Sikkim, where winters are long and cold, Bhutia and Lepcha households make phagshapa from fatty strips of pork, white radish and fiery dried red chillies. Traditionally it uses no oil at all: the pork renders its own fat, and the radish soaks it up and turns meltingly soft. It is everyday warming food in Gangtok kitchens, eaten with rice and a bowl of clear soup. Chef's tip: cut the radish thick, in batons, so it holds its shape through the long simmer.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ lb pork belly with skincut into strips 1 cm thick and 5 cm long
- 14 oz white radish (mooli)peeled, cut into thick batons
- 6 dried red chilliesbroken in half; fewer for milder
- 1 ⅝ in gingerfinely chopped
- 4 cloves garlicfinely chopped
- 1 onionsliced
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 3 spring onions (optional)chopped
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 1 ⅓ lb pork belly with skin in a heavy, dry pot over a medium heat. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until plenty of fat has melted out and the strips are lightly golden.
15 minStep 2: Add 6 dried red chillies and fry for 1 minute, until they darken a shade and smell smoky. Keep your face away from the pot.
1 minStep 4: Add 14 oz white radish (mooli) and 1 ½ tsp salt and stir to coat everything in the pork fat.
2 minStep 5: Pour in 1 ¼ cups water, cover and simmer on a low heat for 30–35 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the pork is tender and cooked through with no pink, and the radish is soft and translucent. Common mistake: lifting the lid to boil off liquid too soon; the radish needs the steam to cook evenly.
35 minStep 6: Uncover and simmer for 3–5 minutes more, until only a little glossy sauce remains. Taste for salt, top with 3 spring onions and serve with rice.
4 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 46 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does phagshapa take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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