Cut the pork Cut the pork into strips about four centimetres long, keeping the fat and skin attached to each piece.
02
Prepare the vegetables Peel the radish and cut it into thick batons, slice the onion, crush the garlic and ginger, and break the dried chillies in half.
03
Render the pork Put the pork in a heavy pot over medium heat with the oil if the meat is lean, and stir now and then until the fat melts out and the edges turn golden.
04
Add the aromatics Add the onion, garlic and ginger to the pot and stir them through the pork fat until the onion softens.
05
Simmer the pork Pour in the water, add salt, bring it to a boil, then cover and simmer on low heat until the pork is nearly tender.
06
Add radish and chillies Add the radish and dried chillies, stir, cover again and simmer until the radish is soft and translucent and the sauce has reduced.
07
Finish with greens Stir in the Sichuan pepper and the greens if using, and cook uncovered until the greens wilt.
08
Rest and serve Taste for salt, turn off the heat and let the stew rest for a few minutes, then serve hot with red rice.
Phaksha paa is pork stewed with white radish and dried red chillies, one of the most common home dishes in Bhutan. The fatty pork is cooked in its own rendered fat, then simmered until tender. It is eaten year round with a heap of Bhutanese red rice.
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Method
1
Cut the pork
Cut the pork into strips about four centimetres long, keeping the fat and skin attached to each piece.
The fat is what gives phaksha paa its richness, so do not trim it away.
2
Prepare the vegetables
Peel the radish and cut it into thick batons, slice the onion, crush the garlic and ginger, and break the dried chillies in half.
3
Render the pork
Put the pork in a heavy pot over medium heat with the oil if the meat is lean, and stir now and then until the fat melts out and the edges turn golden.
Keep the heat at medium so the fat renders slowly instead of the outside burning.
Render the pork · 10 min
4
Add the aromatics
Add the onion, garlic and ginger to the pot and stir them through the pork fat until the onion softens.
Add the aromatics · 2 min
5
Simmer the pork
Pour in the water, add salt, bring it to a boil, then cover and simmer on low heat until the pork is nearly tender.
Simmer the pork · 25 min
6
Add radish and chillies
Add the radish and dried chillies, stir, cover again and simmer until the radish is soft and translucent and the sauce has reduced.
If the pot looks dry, add a splash of water; the dish should have a little thick, oily gravy, not a soup.
Add radish and chillies · 15 min
7
Finish with greens
Stir in the Sichuan pepper and the greens if using, and cook uncovered until the greens wilt.
If you cannot find thingey, leave it out rather than using black pepper; the dish is still correct without it.
Finish with greens · 3 min
8
Rest and serve
Taste for salt, turn off the heat and let the stew rest for a few minutes, then serve hot with red rice.
Bhutanese red rice is traditional; plain white rice works if red rice is unavailable.