Bacon and cabbage southern-island curry, made with SN4

The longer cabbage simmers, the more it loses its shape and leaves only sweetness behind in the pot. So it goes in last of all. Core first, leaves after. Take it off the heat while the core still has some bite.

SN4 is one pouch holding twelve spices and two fruits. The fat that renders out of the bacon turns sweet as it simmers, and at the finish the bitterness of cacao and black pepper cut that sweetness. Cassia and turmeric are set at exactly the same weight: the smell of sweet bark, and the ochre in the pot. Neither one steps out in front of the other. There is no chilli in it, so it is not hot.

The slab bacon brings its own salt, so the salt that meets the onion is dropped to 1/2 teaspoon.

Total time: ~55 min

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• SN4 / starter spices (the whole-spice pouch): 1 pouch
• SN4 / powder spices (the ground-spice pouch): 1 pouch
• Slab bacon — 250 g
• Cabbage — 1/4 head (about 300 g)
• Onion — 1
• Garlic — 2 tsp (about 1–2 cloves)
• Ginger — 2 tsp (about 1–2 pieces)
• Canned whole tomatoes — 1 can, 400 g
• Coconut milk — 3 tbsp (milk works too)
• Water — 200 ml
• Salt — 1/2 tsp
• Oil — 3 tbsp (use whichever oil you like; rice bran oil or light sesame oil are the ones we recommend for this recipe)

Preparation

1. Grate the garlic, then the ginger, in that order. Without a grater, chop them fine.
2. Slice the onion thinly, cutting across the fibres.
3. Cut the slab bacon into 1 cm batons.
4. Cut the core out of the cabbage and cut the leaves into rough 4 cm squares. Slice the core 5 mm thick and set it aside, separate from the leaves.
5. The dates and cherries in the starter spices (the whole-spice pouch) blend into the curry better if you chop them small. Splitting the cardamom lengthways with scissors or a knife lifts its bright scent.

Instructions

1. Put the oil (3 tbsp) in a pot over low heat, add the grated garlic and ginger and fry for about 30 seconds.
2. When the scent rises, add the onion and the salt (1/2 tsp), mix well, then turn the heat high and cook for about 15 minutes until deep amber, adding small splashes of water as you go.

   How far you cook the onion changes the finished taste enormously. “It came out watery”, “the tomato tastes too sharp”, “it lacks body” — the single biggest cause of all three is moving on to the next step before the onion has gone amber. Cook it for a full 12 to 15 minutes and fry it properly until it is amber onion.
   The points are
   ・keep the heat medium to high
   ・spread the onion evenly across the pot and leave it → stir → leave it evenly again → stir, over and over
   ・whenever you stir and feel it catching on the bottom of the pot, add a small splash of water (in practice, about 2 tablespoons of water each time, around five times on average)
   Splashing in water spreads the savour the heat draws out of the onion through the whole pot, and gets you to amber onion without letting it burn on. A little catching, then a splash of water, is if anything exactly the right way to pull the savour out.

3. Once the onion is amber, lower to medium heat, add the SN4 starter spices (the whole-spice pouch) and fry them briefly.
4. Add the slab bacon (250 g) and fry together for about 3 minutes, until the fat runs and the edges colour.
5. Add all of the powder spices and turn everything through, with the idea of cooking the powder itself.
6. Push the ingredients to one side, add the canned tomatoes, crush the whole tomatoes thoroughly, then mix everything together.
7. Add the water (200 ml) and the coconut milk (3 tbsp); once it comes to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 12 minutes.
8. Add the cabbage core first and simmer 2 minutes, then add the leaves and simmer, uncovered and still on low, for about 4 minutes. Take it off the heat while the core still has some bite.
9. Taste at the end and adjust the salt. Adding it a pinch at a time until it lands where you want it is what makes the dish. If the bacon has come through salty, add about 2 tablespoons of water instead of more salt.

Cassia (the bark) and cardamom are not usually eaten, so lift them out when you come across them.

By the next day the cabbage has drunk up the sauce, and it is a different dish.

Inspice Spice Curry spice sets contain none of the usual sources of heat — chilli, cayenne pepper, chili powder — so take it to your own level.

If you want heat, we recommend HOT SPICE “Umakara”. It is a blend that adds heat and savour together, so it does not simply turn things hot: the curry keeps its scent and only the outline of the taste tightens. Do not put it in the pot — serve into bowls first, then shake it on a little at a time. That way you can share one pot with someone who cannot take heat.