Chef - Cyrus Todiwala

Ark of Taste Product - British Lop

Producer - Hazeldene Farm

Cyrus is no stranger to British rare breeds. He's used every pig breed on our Forgotten Food list while remarkably the chef has travelled to the remote Northern Scottish Isle of North Ronaldsay to visit William Muir and his rare breed lambs! One part of the Incredible Spice Men Cyrus has not disappointed in this recipe, creating a beautifully aromatic and succulent Pulled Pork dish, sure to become a family favourite.

Method:

– First make the masala marinade. With a pestle and mortar, coarsely crush together the cassia bark or cinnamon and the cloves. Gently toast this mixture in a dry frying pan over a low heat until a spicy fragrance emanates from the pan. Tear the red chillies into pieces and add to the pan. Continue to dry-fry the mixture for a short while but do not burn. Set aside to cool.

– Put the cooled spice mix in a blender. Add all of the remaining masala ingredients and blend the mixture to a relatively fine paste. Taste and adjust seasoning if you like.

– Rub the masala all over the pork, and place the meat in a dish in which it fits snugly. Set aside any remaining masala. Cover the meat and set aside in the refrigerator, if possible for a few hours.
 
– Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Pour the oil into a roasting tin and heat on the hob over a medium heat. Scrape any excess masala from the marinated pork, place the pork in the roasting tin and brown well on all sides. Transfer to the oven and cook for 30 minutes.
 
– Reduce the oven heat to minimum. (You can now pour a few tablespoons of marinade over the pork for extra flavour. Any leftover marinade can be set aside to use for another dish.) Cover the pork tightly with aluminium foil, well tucked in so that the pork steams in the tin and the meat literally falls off when cooked. Cook for a further 3–3½ hours if using a rolled joint; if using smaller pieces or individual chops, adjust your cooking time accordingly.
 
– Remove the pork from the oven and shred using two forks.
To serve, put some pork on top of a lettuce leaf. Top with some coleslaw (if using) or some coriander.

Serves 6–8

2kg (4lb 8oz) rolled pork loin or shoulder or collar

50ml (2fl oz) vegetable or rapeseed oil

baby gem lettuce leaves, cleaned and well drained (to serve)

3 tbsp fresh chopped coriander (to garnish)

 

For the masala marinade

1 tbsp broken pieces cassia bark or cinnamon

15 cloves

2 large dried red chillies

5cm (2in) piece fresh root ginger, roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves

2 small red onions, coarsely cut

1 longish fresh green chilli

½heaped tsp turmeric

2½ tbsp tamarind paste

100ml (3½fl oz) palm vinegar

(if not available use cider vinegar)

½tbsp brown sugar

25ml (1fl oz) sunflower or rapeseed oil

½tbsp salt