Curried Unpulled Pork Naan Bread Burgers Recipe

Pulled pork in a conventional sense is all about slow cooking a piece of shoulder of pork that it is so tender, it can easily be teased apart - strand by strand - with two forks. It is then usually served in a bun with a flavorsome barbecue sauce. The whole point of this recipe experiment was to halt the process one step before the traditional end while attempting to achieve the same succulent, juicy and tender effect in the meat. Borrowing the burger serving concept to some extent seemed appropriate while the Indian spiced nature of the dish seemed to call for naan breads to replace the standard burger bun or bread roll.

Ingredients (Serves 1)

• 2 pork shoulder steaks, each about 6 ounces in weight
• 1 small to medium onion
• 1 medium size red chili
• 1 large garlic clove
• 2 teaspoons medium strength curry powder
• Salt and pepper
• 1½ pints fresh chicken stock
• 2 large eggs
• Pinch of ground turmeric
• Pinch of ground coriander
• Pinch of chili powder
• Little bit of vegetable oil for frying eggs
• 4 mini naan breads
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped cilantro (coriander leaf)

Directions

Peel the onion and cut it in half down through the central core. Lay each half flat on your chopping board and slice moderately thinly across the way. Cut the top off the chili and discard. Slice the body in to discs. Peel the garlic clove and slice.

Lay the pork shoulder steaks in the bottom of a large pot before adding the onion, chili, garlic and curry powder. Season further with a little salt and black pepper.

Pour enough chicken stock in to the pot to cover the pork steaks to a depth of around one inch. Don't add too much or the flavor of the curry powder in particular may become overly diluted. More stock or even boiling water can be added as the cooking process progresses if it is required. Put the pot on to a high heat until the liquid just begins to boil. Reduce the heat, put the lid on the pot and maintain as gentle a simmer as possible for three hours. Check the liquid level every half hour or so and add a little more if necessary.

The fresher eggs are, the more suited they are to frying or poaching. If you keep your eggs in the fridge, you should also remove them half an hour before cooking to allow them to come up to room temperature. Start by breaking them in to two separate small ramekins or drinking glasses. This makes them much easier to add to the frying pan.

Season the eggs in the ramekins with a little turmeric, coriander, chili and salt. Seasoning them at this stage means the very act of pouring them in to the frying pan will help to some extent to evenly disperse the spices.

When the pork is ready, turn off the heat under the pot and lift the steaks with a large slotted spoon to a heated deep plate. Cover with foil and allow to rest while you fry the eggs.

Pour a teaspoon or so of oil in to a small non-stick frying pan and use a scrunched up piece of kitchen paper to wipe it evenly over the surface. An oil film on the pan is all that is required for frying eggs and makes for best results as the eggs don't run in the oil. Put the pan on to reach a medium to high heat.

Lift the first ramekin and bring it down to within about an inch of actually touching the pan before tipping it in one slow but fluid movement to deposit the egg in the pan. It should start frying immediately and largely hold its shape. Do the same with the second egg. After a few seconds, reduce the heat under the pan to low and fry the eggs for two to three minutes until you can see that the white is set almost but not quite all the way around the yolk.

These mini cilantro and garlic naans were about six inches long and the perfect size for purpose. If you can only get larger naan breads, you can simply cut them as required. They should be reheated per the instructions on the pack.

When the eggs are set as required, carefully turn them with a spatula to fry for one minute only on their second sides. This should see them served with the yolks still a little bit liquid and moist without being too runny.

Lay two of the naan breads on a serving plate, presentation sides down.

Lift a pork shoulder steak on to each naan bread.

When the eggs are done, use a spatula again to lift one on to the top of each pork steak.

Use half the chopped cilantro to scatter a little over the top of each egg.

Lay the second two naan breads on top of the eggs, presentation sides up. Garnish with the last of the cilantro.

These creations can very effectively eaten by hand as would be any conventional style burger, or alternatively, they can be eaten with the use of a knife and fork. Either way, you should find the pork to be as tender as any burger you have ever tasted. Try serving them with a glass of ice cold Indian beer for maximum enjoyment.