Thabo with rice is pork in coconut milk. This dish resembles the Chinese gabadzhao, which also uses small pieces of meat in a sweet and sour sauce. Pork cooked in coconut milk becomes tender and aromatic, and delightful aromas fill the kitchen while cooking! Fluffy white rice is the perfect side dish for thabo. Coconut milk can be used either ready-made or made from fresh coconut.
Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
500 g lean pork;
300 g tomatoes;
150 ml coconut milk;
1 tablespoon grated ginger;
3 cloves of garlic;
½ chili;
50 g leek;
160 g long rice;
salt, basil, paprika;
vegetable oil for frying.
Preparation:
Let's start by making the tomato puree for the pork in coconut milk. If you have ready-made puree, that's great, but using fresh tomatoes will yield better flavor. Cut the tomatoes into slices, place them in a saucepan, add a little water to the bottom, cover with a lid, and steam over low heat for 15 minutes.
After that, strain the steamed tomatoes through a fine sieve — the skins and seeds will remain on the mesh, while a thick and aromatic puree will be left in the bowl, freshly made.
Cut the lean pork into pieces about 2-3 centimeters in size.
Peel the fresh ginger root and grate it on a fine grater. Remove the seeds from half of the chili and finely chop it. Press the garlic through a garlic press. In a heavy-bottomed pot, pour in 2 tablespoons of vegetable, olive, or coconut oil, add the ginger, garlic, and chili, and sauté for a minute. At this point, a magical aroma will fill the kitchen — this combination of ingredients will leave no one indifferent.
Rinse the halved leek under running water, slice it into thin half-rings, and add it to the pot, quickly sautéing.
Then add the chopped meat and sauté over high heat for 2-3 minutes.
Pour in the tomato puree. If the tomatoes are sour, add 1 teaspoon of sugar to balance the taste.
Add the coconut milk. Making coconut milk at home is simple and significantly cheaper than buying ready-made. It is perfect for soups and main dishes.
Season the dish with salt to taste, add a teaspoon of sweet paprika, and cook over low heat for about 45 minutes. 10-15 minutes before it's done, slightly open the lid to allow the sauce to evaporate and thicken.
Meanwhile, prepare the rice. Rinse the grains in cold water several times until the water runs clear. Transfer to a pot, add 180 ml of cold water, bring to a boil, and cover with a lid. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat and wrap it up. There is no need to salt the rice, as there are enough seasonings and spices in the meat sauce.
Place a portion of fluffy rice in a deep bowl.
Top with a portion of pork in coconut milk with sauce. Stack the green basil leaves, roll them up, and slice thinly. Sprinkle the dish with basil before serving.
