Phagshapa
The signature Bhutia pork preparation of Sikkim — strips of pork fat and lean meat slow-cooked with dried red chilli, white radish (mooli), and a minimum of spices in a sealed vessel until the fat renders and the radish absorbs the pork oils completely. No onion, no garlic, no ginger — only pork, radish, dried red chilli, and salt. The austerity of the ingredients is the point; the rendered pork fat becomes the cooking medium for the radish, and the dried chilli provides the only aromatic complexity. A traditional Bhutia dish eaten at the Losar (Tibetan New Year) festival and through the winter months when pork is butchered and preserved across highland Sikkim.
Cuisines
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Recipe
Ingredients
| 250 grams | pork belly |
| 1 cup | radish, sliced |
| 1 cup | dried red chilies |
| 1 tablespoon | ginger, minced |
| 1 tablespoon | garlic, minced |
| 1 teaspoon | turmeric powder |
| 1 teaspoon | salt |
| 1 teaspoon | mustard oil |
| 4 cups | water |
| — | salt to taste |
Instructions
- 1 Cut the pork belly into thin strips.
- 2 In a pot, boil the pork strips with 4 cups of water, turmeric powder, and salt for about 20 minutes.
- 3 Remove the pork and set aside. Reserve the stock.
- 4 In a pan, heat mustard oil and sauté the ginger and garlic until fragrant.
- 5 Add the dried red chilies and sauté for another minute.
- 6 Add the sliced radish to the pan and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
- 7 Return the boiled pork to the pan and mix well.
- 8 Pour in the reserved pork stock and let it simmer for 15 minutes until the radish is tender.
- 9 Adjust salt to taste and serve hot.
Tips
For a smokier flavor, lightly roast the dried red chilies before adding them to the dish.