Ingredients
- 1kg pork belly, cubed
- For marinade paste:
- 1½tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1½tsp turmeric powder
- 1½tbsp each of ginger and garlic pastes
- 60ml apple cider vinegar
- Juice of one lemon
- 1½tbsp of crushed black pepper
- 2tsp cumin powder
- 1tbsp sunflower oil
- 1tsp salt
- 1½tsp cornflour
- For curry base:
- 1tbsp of sunflower oil
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 1 large or 2 small tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½tsp apple cider vinegar
- Dried garlic flakes and spring onions for garnish
1 In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients from the marinade list, apart from the cornflour.
2 Marinate the pork belly pieces in this mixture in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Mix in the cornflour just when you are ready to start cooking.
3 Preheat the air fryer to 160 degrees for five minutes. Add the marinated pork belly to the fryer. Increase the temperature to 180 degrees and turn the timer to 25 minutes. Halfway through this time, toss the pork to make sure the meat cooks evenly. Once it is done, transfer the pork to a bowl. There will be some residual marinade and fat at the bottom of the air fryer. Transfer this into a container and let it settle. Skim the fat from the top and keep the marinade for use later.
4 Heat a deep and wide non-stick pan and add 1tbsp of sunflower oil. Add the sliced onions and cook on a low flame till they become golden brown. This should take six to eight minutes, or till the raw smell goes and oil starts appearing. Add 1-2tbsp of water as the onions cook.
5 Add the reserved marinade from the air fryer to the onions and mix well. Let it cook for at least five minutes on low heat. The longer and slower this marinate cooks, the tastier it gets.
6 Add chopped tomato and 1tsp of sugar. Stir and cook for another five to eight minutes, until the tomato is cooked well.
7 Add the pork belly and 350ml of warm water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to its lowest setting, cover and cook for eight minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook till the water is almost evaporated and the pork is tender.
8 Taste and add more salt and pepper, pinch of sugar and ½tsp of vinegar, if required.
9 Garnish with garlic flakes and spring onions. Serve with boiled rice, naan bread or soft paratha.
Note: Make sure the bottom tray of the air fryer is clean before starting on this recipe as you are going to use the marinade dripping from the pork belly later. If your air fryer is small, do the pork belly in batches. The time needed for the pork belly to cook can vary from one air fryer to another. Make sure the pork meat is cooked through before consuming. If you prefer a fiery, spicy vindaloo, you can add some chopped fresh green chilli and add up to 1tsp of pepper powder in the end. Make sure you open the dish and stir as you cook it, and add more water, if required.
