Pork Stew with Tomatoes and Ginger (from Bhutan)

Pretty much everything goes in the same pot at the same time. Now do you really need simpler than that?

Bhutanese pork stew served with brown rice and stewed yellow squash snagged roadside in the Hudson Valley.

Bhutanese cuisine is simple beyond Western conception. Perfect combinations of fresh ingredients are seasoned with little fuss but judiciously; dishes are laden with red chilies that never decimate other flavors. The pork stew below, besides boasting a soul-nourishing broth, is a good introduction to a little known and misunderstood culinary world.

If we've tweaked your interest, here's a 2011 post featuring a Bhutanese cheese curry. (Cafe Drake prepared the cheese curry with enormous success for an enthusiastic cooking class recently at Brooklyn Brainery.)

BHUTANESE PORK STEW WITH TOMATOES AND GINGER 

Begin with one pound or so of boneless pork, center loin for example. This is the time to purchase a nice cut of meat, one of the heritage breeds perhaps, humanely raised. (At Cafe Drake we feel meat should be a special occasion and not an everyday occurrence so we're willing to spend more when do cook it). Cut the pork into cubes roughly 1" in size. Add to a pot along with: 3 cups of water, 2 T. grated ginger, 1 large onion, chopped, 1 t. salt and 3/4 t. cayenne pepper. Grind a generous amount of black pepper over all, stir well and cook over a medium flame for 30-40 minutes.

Now stir in 1 lb. of fresh tomatoes, cut into large pieces. Reduce heat a bit and simmer gently for another 15 minutes or until the meat is tender. This may take longer depending on the quality of pork used. 

When ready to serve taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. A very soupy stew, this is excellent with plenty of rice or bread for soaking up the succulent broth. Best when garnished with lime wedges and chopped cilantro.